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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26541781">While I breathe, I hope</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamikorosu13/pseuds/kamikorosu13'>kamikorosu13</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Victorious [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bleach, ワンパンマン | One-Punch Man</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Multi, My First Fanfic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:49:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>33,797</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26541781</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kamikorosu13/pseuds/kamikorosu13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Disinterested ruby eyes slid past the broken bodies on the floor, and the owner huffed lightly in satisfaction of her handiwork before turning around and walking away, her boots not making a single noise on the rough ground to mark her passing.<br/>“…ugh, this is exactly like what happened with Garou…I’ll kill this fuckin’ bitc—”<br/>Pupils contracted into pinpricks and Katsumi mechanically turned around, her vision tunneling into the male figure on the ground and making the injured man whimper at their inhuman gleam, as well as the tangible pressure that pressed down on everyone in the vicinity. “What?”<br/>“I didn’t m-mean to call you a b-bitch,” the bruised male stammered as he attempted to scramble away from the approaching female, shaking in fear as he was roughly hoisted up by the collar of his shirt.<br/>Twisting her handful of fabric to tighten the hold, Katsumi slammed the drunken man into the brick wall of the alley and curved her lips into a disconcerting grin, exposing viciously sharp canines that almost caused the terrified man to pass out in her grip. “Hey,” she said, her melodious voice forming a surreal contrast with the bloodthirsty aura she was emitting. “Tell me everything you know about this…Garou.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Garou (One-Punch Man)/Original Female Character(s), Genos (One-Punch Man)/Original Female Character(s), Metal Bat (One-Punch Man)/Original Female Character(s), Zombieman (One-Punch Man)/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Victorious [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983259</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>24</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic besides Katsumi</p><p>Also, I have no beta so there will definitely be occasional errors. Please no flaming, but if you do see an error, point it out to me in the comments and I will fix it. </p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This is just a page of Katsumi's stats, both on the Hero Association and her real stats.<br/>Also, just a heads up that Flashy Flash does not exist in this fic, as you may have noticed by Katsumi's hero ranking, which replaces his in the manga/anime. However, Katsumi will not be replacing his existence, she has a different backstory.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: All art is by WLOP - check out their stuff on Instagram and Twitter, it is honestly amazing!</p><p>Also, you can buy those boots here: https://www.dollskill.com/club-exx-buckled-platform-boots-black.html</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>HERO ASSOCIATION DATABASE</b>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>CHARACTERISTICS </b>
</p><p>Name: Undisclosed</p><p>Alias: Flash Goddess</p><p>Race: Human</p><p>Gender: Female </p><p>Age: 18</p><p>Height: 5'6"</p><p>Weight: Undisclosed </p><p>Abilities:</p>
<ul>
<li>Superhuman speed and agility</li>
<li>Skilled hand-to-hand combatant</li>
<li>Capable of firing energy blasts strong enough to destroy [Level: DEMON] threats</li>
</ul><p>Rank: S-Class, Rank 13</p><p>Appearance: features are unknown</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>HERO RATING</b>
</p>
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>

<p>Ability type</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Stamina</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Intelligence</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Justice</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Endurance</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Power</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Popularity</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Effectiveness</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Fighting ability</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>Total</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>

<p>Energy manipulation</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>9</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>10</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
<td>

<p>??</p>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table><p>Keep in mind that these stats are only what the Hero Association knows</p>
<hr/><p>
  <b>REAL STATS</b>
</p><p>(these stats are all in Nasuverse terms, doesn't matter if you have no knowledge, all will be explained later)</p><p>Name: Katsumi</p><p>Aliases: Subject No.13, Flash Goddess</p><p>Strength: A+</p><p>Endurance: A+</p><p>Agility: A+</p><p>Luck: B</p><p>Mana (Reiryoku): A++</p><p>Personal skills:</p>
<ul>
<li>Battle continuation: A+ (will keep fighting until body literally can’t anymore)</li>
<li>Hierro: B (Can be cut with a sharp enough object or smashed through with enough blunt force )</li>
<li>Shunpo &amp; Hohō: A++ (as fast as Yoruichi Shihōin, but not in her <em>Flash War Cry: Thunder Beast Battle </em>form)</li>
<li>Hakuda: A+ (is a master of this fighting as she fights hand-to-hand) </li>
<li>Instinct: A (can essentially predict the moves an opponent is about to take in battle)</li>
<li>Pesquisa: B (can sense the reiatsu of everyone in a 2km radius)</li>
<li>Sonido: A+ (high-speed technique when visored, but not as proficient in it than Shunpo)</li>
<li>High speed regeneration: A (can regenerate internal organs and brain, but not if there’s no energy left)</li>
<li>All subsets of Cero: D - EX</li>
<ul>
<li>Bala: D+ (anti-unit)</li>
<li>Cero: C++ (anti-unit)</li>
<li>Cero Doble: B-A (anti-unit)</li>
<li>Cero Oscuras: A++ (anti-army/anti-fortress)</li>
<li>Grand Rey Cero: EX (anti-city)</li>
</ul>
</ul><p>For any of you readers that say Grand Rey Cero is wimpy, keep in mind that Grimmjow’s [Grand Rey Cero] was comparable to Ulquiorra’s [Cero Oscuras] when he was in his Segunda Etapa (and we all know that our Ulqui is the strongest espada regardless of rankings (c’mon all yammy did was get bigger - lame!!!)) so Ulquiorra's [Grand Rey Cero] (which is supposed to be the strongest cero) would literally decimate everything</p><p>Also in this story, Katsumi has like, wayyyy more reiryoku than either of them - think TYBW!Aizen levels of reiryoku - so everything is ranked up by a ton because yay, property damage!!!</p><p>…I also wanted bigger explosions</p><p>KATSUMI IN HER HERO COSTUME</p><p>
  
</p><p>KATSUMI</p><p>
  
</p><p>HER BOOTS<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Okay, for those of you that say Katsumi is stupidly overpowered, let me just say that this manga/anime is about a guy who can literally jump from the moon to Earth in approximately 1.5 seconds, all while leaving behind a crater on the moon of such ridiculous proportions that it can be seen from Earth. All things considered, Saitama could probably squash Katsumi like that mosquito lady he smacked into a building, even with her crazy stats that would make Tohsaka Rin have a heart attack.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. CONVERGENCE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The meeting of some of our main characters!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the fic besides Katsumi</p><p>Well guys, this is the first actual chapter, so leave comments so I can  get some feedback!</p><p>Enjoy~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Speed-o’-Sound Sonic?“ asked Genos. “What a redundantly repetitive name. Who is he?”</p><p>“I don’t know. He just showed up, declared his rivalry, and left,” sighed Saitama.</p><p>“If he is bothering you, I can extinguish him,” Genos stated resolutely.</p><p>“You’re bothering me too!” Saitama complained. “Why are you-”</p><p>Two short knocks on wood interrupted his tirade and Genos snapped his full attention to the front door, scanning it throughly for heat signatures. “Hello~!” called out a cheerful female voice from the other side of the door. “There’s someone else in here right? I saw lights on when I was walking to my apartment!”</p><p>“Sensei. There’s someone standing in front of the door,” warned Genos.</p><p>Saitama quirked an eyebrow at the warning as he casually turned around so that he could view the door. “Well, yeah. You did just hear some lady speak right?”</p><p>“It’s not that, Sensei,” said Genos as he stood up and made his way to the door, charging up his right incineration cannon on the way, its telltale glow making it painfully obvious as to what he was about to do.</p><p>“Whoa, Genos what are-”</p><p>“Sensei,” interrupted Genos, as politely as he could while still maintaining his urgent tone. “I didn’t hear any footsteps approaching the apartment at all, but more importantly was the fact that I didn’t detect any life signals in a 500 meter radius with my sensors until she spoke. It’s like she appeared out of nowhere.”</p><p>“Ah, I see. But no incinerating anyone until you confirm they are bad,” Saitama said firmly, with a serious expression on his face.</p><p>“Sensei is so wise,” said Genos in a reverent tone. “I will write that down later.”</p><p>“I just don’t wanna pay for damages…” Saitama muttered lowly, so that Genos couldn’t hear. “…also, shouldn’t this be something you already know…?”</p><p>“Hello~?” the voice called again. “If you’re busy I can just leave. I’m a new neighbor and you seem to be the only other person in this whole building, so I brought some food over so that we could meet~!”</p><p>“Oh. Well then Genos, let her in without roasting her or the food,” instructed Saitama.</p><p>“Understood, Sensei.” Genos powered down his incineration cannon and opened the door, fully prepared for whatever monster was on the other side.</p><p>He was not prepared.</p><hr/><p>As the door swung open, Katsumi adjusted her hold on the numerous bags of food in her left hand and blew a strand of ruby-pink hair away from her face. The first thing she saw was… a cyborg? At the very least, he <em>looked </em>like a cyborg; metal arms (probably body as well, from what she could see from his neck), short blond hair, handsome features and - “Well, don’t you have some of the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen~,” purred Katsumi as she leaned forward slightly and winked. “Hello there, gorgeous. It’s <em>very </em>nice to meet you.”</p><p>The cyborg seemed taken back at her greeting - either because of the brazen nature of her compliment or the focus of it, she had no clue - at least, from what she could read from his stoic features. “Ah…?” he breathed out in a questioning tone even as he rocked back on his heels and took a backwards glance at someone further in the apartment for assistance.</p><p>“My name’s Katsumi,” she said happily, even as she inwardly giggled at how awkward he was at receiving compliments to his face. How adorable. “Are you guys allowing company for a meal and a chat?”</p><p>“Um, sure. Nice to meet you, Katsumi-san. My name is Genos,” greeted the blonde cyborg with a slight bow as he opened the door further and stepped back to let her in. His stoic countenance paired with his deep voice made him appear older than he actually was, though with his inability to receive compliments, Katsumi would say he was probably just slightly older than her - but definitely no older than 21.</p><p>“No, no,” waved Katsumi nonchalantly as she unzipped her boots with her free hand and stepped out of them, letting her stocking-clad feet come into contact with the cool wooden floor as she placed her boots by the entrance while Genos closed the door. She inwardly pouted at the fact that without the 3 inch platforms, she was only 5’6” and just <em>barely</em> measured up to Genos’ chin, but kept the guileless smile on her face and her tone light. “There’s no need for formalities of any kind. Just call me Katsumi. Now, where would you like me to place the food? And who’s your friend?”</p><p>“You can just place the food on the table, Katsumi-san. Uh, I mean, Katsumi,” suggested Genos from behind her, stumbling over her name as he corrected himself. What a cute guy. “And the man at the table is Saitama-sensei.”</p><p>“Sensei?” pondered Katsumi out aloud as she placed the bags of food on the table and sat down in seiza on the left of the bald man in a yellow costume and a white cape, who looked mildly intrigued at her entrance but seemed more upset about something else. Early midlife crisis, perhaps? Just from a glance at his general disposition, she could tell that this Saitama guy was strong, extremely so. Most likely stronger than she was, though absolute strength definitely had its own drawbacks, regardless of its perks. “Nice to meet you, Saitama-san. My name is Katsumi, your new neighbor from down the hall. I hope we get along~!”</p><p>“Huh. Nice to meet you, I guess.” Saitama looked preoccupied even as she unpacked the food and placed the dishes on the table as Genos sat down, handing him and the cyborg a disposable pair of chopsticks each. “Oh, barbeque. And it’s still hot!”</p><p>“I was unaware that there are any barbeque restaurants in the nearby vicinity,” stated Genos, looking questioningly at his new neighbor.</p><p>“Yup, there aren’t any!” confirmed Katsumi as she snapped her chopsticks.”Itadakimasu!”</p><p>‘’Itadakimasu!” echoed Saitama and Genos.</p><p>After a few moments of mostly silent eating, Katsumi restarted the conversation so she could get a more precise feel of their personalities. “All of the barbeque restaurants in City Z suck, so I went over to this nice little family-owned place in City D. The owner is super nice and always gives me discounts~!”</p><p>“Travelling that far just for food?” asked Genos, shocked at the distance she managed to cover in a short timeframe. “How is this food still hot?”</p><p>“Oh, a girl’s gotta have some secrets, y’know?” said Katsumi, winking at him. Overall, Genos seemed to have the most normal reaction of the two of them; Saitama didn’t even seemed fazed at the speed she would’ve had to travel in order for the food to still be piping hot - it was practically the same temperature as when she received it. Yeah, there was no doubt about it - this guy was strong.</p><p>“So, tell us a bit about yourself Katsumi,” proposed Genos. “But keep it to twenty words or less - Sensei is a busy man.”</p><p>Katsumi shot a glance at Saitama, who was…eating some food. ‘<em>Busy…right. More like he can't be bothered to listen to people monologue all the time.’</em></p><p>“In twenty words or less, huh?” mulled Katsumi aloud. “I was separated from a friend when I was younger and I’m looking for him now.”</p><p>“I feel like the twenty word limit makes it difficult to get the whole backstory,” Genos muttered under his breath.</p><p>“What about you, Genos-san? What’s your story?” questioned Katsumi in return.</p><p>“A crazy cyborg destroyed my home town when I was 15,” explained Genos. “I am training under Saitama-sensei to get stronger so I can kill the cyborg.”</p><p>How unspeakably depressing.“If you ever need my help to kill the evil cyborg, all you need to do is ask,” said Katsumi, shooting Genos a thumbs up and not allowing him the notion of refusal by firing another question off. “And I’ve been wondering for a while, Saitama-san - but, why are you wearing that costume? Are you a hero?”</p><p>“Ah, yes,” Saitama confirmed. “I’m just a guy who’s a hero for fun.”</p><p>“Hm,” mused Katsumi as she chewed on a piece of chicken. Swallowing her food, Katsumi beamed at Saitama cheerfully. “Nope! Never heard of you!”</p><p>Katsumi heard Genos gasp even as Saitama choked on his food before looking gloomy and slouching. “Again… it happened again.”</p><p>“Katsumi, you don’t know who Saitama-sensei is?” sputtered Genos, looking shocked. “But he’s so strong and amazing—!”</p><p>“No one knows who I am,” interrupted Saitama. “It’s been three years since I became a hero for fun. I’ve defeated countless superhumans, subterranean monsters, terrorists and evil militant organizations. I’ve never seen another hero do as much as me! Everyone should know about me by now! I should have <em>fans</em>! It’s weird that I have to live such a meager existence in this ghost town!”</p><p>“Do you know what Sonic said to me?” questioned Saitama. “‘I don’t know you.’ And the townspeople thought I was a terrorist!”</p><p>Katsumi kept quiet but eyed Genos, who looked completely stupefied at Saitama’s situation, as though he couldn’t comprehend his sensei being unknown to the general populace. But with how strong this guy seemed to be from just a glance, he had to be someone with a high rank. It was really weird that even she had never seen him before, much less heard of him, even if it was a passing meeting at HQ or a random comment about a bald guy in a cape defeating monsters.</p><p>“When villains appeared, I thrashed ‘em, but no one remembers!” complained Saitama, finishing off his tirade.</p><p>Genos looked pretty deep in thought, so Katsumi thought over Saitama’s unfortunate situation. ‘<em>Hm, a hero for fun…wait, does that mean-?!</em>’</p><p>“No way,” breathed out Genos, seemingly reaching the same conclusion that Katsumi did. “You said you’re a hero for fun…Master - aren’t you listed in the hero registry?!”</p><hr/><p>The Hero Registry lists the name of heroes who have taken physical strength and justice tests at Hero Association facilities around the country, met certain standards, and received permission to name themselves official . Those recognized by the association as professional heroes may receive funds out of money donated to the association through its fundraising efforts. Heroes listed in the Hero Registry may also appear in ability and popularity rankings. The world pays a great deal of attention to those heroes and many of them have fan clubs.</p><p>Note:</p><p>What the world refers to as heroes are those professional heroes listed in the registry. Any unlisted individual claiming to be a hero, no matter how active, is viewed askance and considered nothing more than a pervy freak who spouts irresponsible nonsense.</p><p>[AN: This is taken directly from the manga so don’t attack me if you any issues with this]</p><hr/><p>“…” Saitama sighed and buried his head in his hands. “I didn’t know.”</p><p>“Professional heroes first appeared three years ago,” lectured Genos. “When a villain attacked the tycoon Agoni’s grandchild, a passerby offered help. When Agoni heard about it, he devised this system…and used his personal wealth to establish the Hero Association.”</p><p>“Are you registered?” Saitama asked Genos.</p><p>“Yeah, Genos-san,” added Katsumi. “You seem like the heroic type - a knight in shining armor vanquishing evil from the world and all that jazz.”</p><p>“No, should I be?” he asked.</p><p>“Hey Genos, let’s get registered!” suggested Saitama. “If you go register with me, I’ll make you my student!”</p><p>“Sounds like a plan!” Genos agreed. “What about you, Katsumi? Maybe becoming a hero will help you find your childhood friend faster!”</p><p>Katsumi chuckled and waved him off as she stood up. “Nah, I don’t need to get registered, but thanks for the offer. Anyways,” she yawned as she stretched, “it’s getting pretty late so I’ll head home now. Nice meeting you, Saitama-san, Genos-san.”</p><p>She slipped on her boots but left them unzipped as she opened the door. and shivered lightly at the draft in the hallway. Turning around, she gave a lazy, two-fingered salute as she closed the door. “Goodnight~!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hope you guys liked it!</p><p>Don't forget to leave a comment - I will do my best to reply to them - and stay tuned for more updates!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. QUALITY</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Saitama vs Genos, the fated battle between men! Lol I'm joking about the 'fated battle' part, but that is basically what this chapter is about. </p><p>(Also known as: episode 5 of the anime!)</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this fic except Katsumi</p><p>Also, I don’t know if you guys have noticed, but I am using both the manga and the anime as a template for my work, so some lines may be different depending on whether you read or watch One Punch Man.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’ve been meaning to ask you, Genos-san, but what ranking in the Hero Registry did you and Saitama-san get in your testing yesterday?” asked Katsumi as she kicked a pebble out of her path as she sidled up to Genos, who was holding his phone and presumably checking the rankings. The pebble left a dusty trail as it skittered across the dry, flat ground and Katsumi scowled at the small mark that kicking the pebble had left on her platforms, the lightly colored dust standing out on the completely black surface. She mentally huffed as she eyed the marking, her ruby eyes focusing with laser-like intensity on the dust as though her gaze alone could burn it off and return her boots to their previously pristine condition. <em>‘My poor baby!’ </em>she mentally cried, already making plans for a TLC session for all of the shoes she owned.</p><p>“Hero Registry?” questioned Saitama as he turned around from the cliff face he was inspecting and looked in your direction. “And you can just call me Saitama, yanno.”</p><p>“Sensei is correct, you can just call us by our names,” offered Genos. “After all, we don’t use honorifics with you either.”</p><p>Katsumi grinned at them.“All righty~!”</p><p>Genos looked down at his phone and scrolled through the rankings displayed. From Katsumi’s position next to him, she could easily her alias: [Flash Goddess: Class S, Rank 13], and Genos’ name at the bottom of the S-Class list. <em>‘I can see Genos’ name but not Saitama’s…is he an A-Class or something? There’s no way he would get classified lower than that, my [Instinct] is telling me that he’s crazy strong. Also, with [Pesquisa] he shines like a fucking beacon.’</em></p><p>“I’m at the bottom of the Class S ranking and Sensei is at the bottom of the Class C ranking in the Hero Registry,” Genos informed Katsumi as he read through the list.</p><p>“Class C?!” yelled Katsumi, rounding on Saitama. “There’s no way you’re a Class C! I can definitely tell that you’re insanely strong just from looking at you - what the hell are those idiots in the Association doing?! I’m gonna make a complaint with the testers right now!” resolved Katsumi as she yanked out her phone from the front pocket of her plain red hoodie.</p><p>“No way!” Saitama shouted, waving his hands frantically to dissuade her from calling the Hero Association, making her pause in her tracks as she looked at him. “It’s too embarrassing! Why are you and Genos so alike?!”</p><p>“It’s ‘cos we’re moody teenagers,” she giggled under her breath even as she turned off her phone and returned it to her pocket. “Still, I don’t see why I can’t just ask them to retest you so that they can rank you properly!”</p><p>“I strongly agree with you, Katsumi,” concurred Genos, looking at her appreciatively due to the fact that she could see how great Sensei was. “However, this is Sensei’s decision, so we must respect it. For now, we are still under the designations [Genos] and [Saitama], but at some point we will acquire hero names.”</p><p>“Hold on, hero names?” asked Saitama, looking dumbfounded. “What are those?”</p><p>“Well, I believe they are considered to be like nicknames that highlights a hero’s characteristics,” Genos explained. “For example, I could be the [Blond Cyborg].”</p><p>“Wait,” realized Saitama as he grabbed the edge of his cape and held it out. “If that’s how it works, then I could end up with a really sucky name, like the [Caped Baldy]!”</p><p>“That sounds unlikely, Saitama. The Association would have to be ridiculously stupid to give you a name like that,” Katsumi inputted, crossing her arms beneath her sizable bust as she adopted a lecturing tone. “Hero names are supposed to strike fear into the hearts of monsters and villains alike, as well as inspiring hope and confidence in both civilians and your fellow heroes.”</p><p>“Although, with how incompetent those fools are, you should probably be prepared for the worst,” she muttered lowly, her lips forming a pout as she thought of all the idiots she was unfortunate to meet upon her registering with the Hero Association, especially those Tank Top imbeciles that just wanted to climb rankings. It was a good thing that no one but the few people she trusted (also that one guy, ugh) knew she was [Flash Goddess] - she could practically imagine all those reporters hounding her all day, or worse: <em>fans.</em> Katsumi shivered at the thought, tendrils of ice spreading through her veins. She realized that it was way too quiet and looked up, finding both Saitama and Genos staring at her in astonishment. “What?”</p><p>“That was…surprisingly deep,” commented Saitama.</p><p>“How amazing!” Genos exclaimed, whipping a notebook and a pen from… somewhere? (<em>‘Where the heck did that from?!’</em> thought Katsumi). “I must record these words for future reference…” he trails off, muttering as his pen scribbles across numerous pages at a rapid pace.</p><p>“Uh, right,” said Katsumi, feeling slightly awkward with the situation. “Anyway, why are we even out here, again?”</p><p>“Right,” replied Genos, flipping his phone shut and putting in his pocket. He squared off his shoulders and faced Saitama with his regular stoic expression. “Sensei, thank you for granting my request today. I appreciate it.”</p><p>“No problem. I mean, I did promise to take you as my disciple,” said Saitama as he started walking away from Genos and Katsumi.</p><p>“Katsumi. It might be a good idea to keep out of range,” Genos suggested as he turned to her. “I do not want you to be injured.”</p><p>“Ha ha,” she laughed nervously, scratching the back of her neck sheepishly“I didn’t think about that at all.” She walked briskly in the other direction, keeping a blank face so that no one would know that she was beating herself up in her head and internally screaming at her own stupidity. <em>‘I completely forgot that normal humans are squishy and don’t have [Hierro]! Fuck! Katsumi you idiot, what kind of ‘blending in’ is that?! Like these two wouldn’t notice if you could shrug off a freaking energy blast! Dumbass!!!’</em></p><p>Saitama came to a stop a fair amount of distance away and turned back to face Genos. “Is right here good?”</p><p>“Perfect.”</p><p>“What about me, guys?” Katsumi called out from where she was standing, her position forming an equilateral triangle between the three of them.</p><p>“That should be fine,” said Genos, making a mental note to avoid that area entirely, just in case she was caught in the blast zone of one of his attacks.</p><p>“We’re gonna spar, but not too seriously, right?” Saitama questioned, his cape blowing in the slight breeze.</p><p>“That is what i had in mind, yes. But I want you to go all out,” stated Genos, in a serious manner. “In return, I too will give it everything I’ve got.” Genos got into a fighting stance, lines of energy appearing along the seams of his metal arms and beneath his white shirt, steam beginning to rise from his metallic form due to the large energy build up. “Now let us begin.”</p><p>With a rocket-fueled jump, Genos launched towards Saitama and kicked, only to miss when the caped man bent backwards so that he was practically parallel to the ground, causing Genos to fly over him. Using the thrusters on his hands, the cyborg changed directions and spiraled to where Saitama was standing, unleashing aspeedy roundhouse kick…that also missed.</p><p><em>‘Hm, they both have pretty good reactions,’</em> mused Katsumi as she watched the spar. <em>‘Though Genos is a little lacking in the speed department.’</em></p><p>The blond cyborg leaped into the air and performed a vicious axe kick, cratering the ground where the caped man previously was, before firing off one of his incineration cannons at Saitama - who promptly dodged - leaving a large scorch mark along the ground, as well as the cliff that was hit by his attack.</p><p><em>‘Damn,’</em> Katsumi thought in shock. <em>‘That’s practically the same as my [Cero]! Although it was a little weaker, it has a much faster charge time and is still capable of that much power, unlike my [Bala]. Unfair~. Seems like I gotta do more training…I won’t stand to be anything besides stronger—!’</em></p><p>She was so deep in her musing, she completely forgot about the exchange between the two males until she heard Genos yell: “Incinerate!”, the resulting blast snapping her out of her planning for a new training regimen. Looking around, the ruby-haired teen could see Genos using the full blast of his [Incineration Cannons], a fierce scowl on his face. Saitama suddenly appeared behind the cyborg, placing a red-gloved hand on his shoulder.</p><p><em>‘Wow, Saitama’s crazy fast!’</em> exclaimed Katsumi in her mind. <em>‘That wasn’t nearly as fast as my top speed, but I doubt it was his either. I wonder if I could get him to train me…?’</em></p><p>As Genos snapped his head in Saitama’s direction, the caped man poked him in the cheek and gave a little smile. “It looks like I win!” Saitama quickly dodged and landed behind Genos as the cyborg lashed out with a swift downwards swing that had enough force to send some rubble flying.</p><p>“Master,” said Genos.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Have you forgotten the rules of this match?” Genos asked, his face set in its stern countenance as steam started emitting from the rockets on his shoulders. “Evade any blows that are possible to evade. Fight without any fooling around. Do not hold back. And lastly…keep fighting until I am immobilized.”</p><p><em>‘Yeesh, that sounds harsh,’</em> thought Katsumi, unwilling to break the tense aura of the match. <em>‘This reminds me of that damn Hellcat’s training sessions, but with less crying and blood smeared everywhere. Guh, just thinking of that demonic woman gives me the chills!’</em></p><p>“You are to show me no mercy,” Genos finished, an amber aura emitting from around him as he began to settle in his stance. “Now then, again—”</p><p>Saitama appeared before Genos in a burst of speed, landing in his guard so that he couldn’t punch and Genos quickly kicked, even as the caped man evaded and landed behind him. Only managing to turn around, Genos watched with constrictedpupils as a large red fist sped towards his face, stopping inches away from his nose.</p><p>Not too far away from the pair, Katsumi broke out in a cold sweat and shivers as she mentally reviewed the last few seconds of the bout. <em>‘That reiatsu I felt from him for a second…what the hell?! It gave me more flashbacks of that unholy woman! Dangerous, Saitama is really, really dangerous—!’</em></p><p>The caped man tapped Genos on the forehead lightly and broke into a smile again. “C’mon, I’m hungry! Time for lunch! Let’s grab some udon noodles.” He started to walk off while Genos remained in the same position, shellshocked at the outcome of the spar.</p><p>Katsumi shook off her tremors and made her way over to Genos, who staggered and murmured, “Unbelievable…,” looking at the cliff behind him, or rather, what remained of it. Joining the cyborg, Katsumi peered at the giant empty space where the cliff used to be, before it was completely vaporized by the force behind that punch. “What a scary guy…,” Katsumi said nudging Genos with her shoulder. “It’s like he’s in a completely different dimension to the rest of us plebeians, eh? Are you injured at all? Do you need some help?”</p><p>“Oh, that is unnecessary, Katsumi. I am completely functional,” Genos said, finally breaking out of his shocked state.</p><p>“That’s not what I meant you dummy,” giggled Katsumi as she reached up and ran her hands through his wind-swept hair. <em>‘Ah, he looks so adorable without a serious expression on his face! I wonder if he can blush? I guess I have to use [Operation: Yoruichi, Lite Edition],’</em> she thought before poking the cyborg’s cheek lightly. “Lighten up more, silly~!”</p><p>“What’s the matter, you guys? Don’t you like udon?”</p><hr/><p>
  <strong>[A FEW HOURS LATER]</strong>
</p><p>“I’m glad you guys like udon. I love it,” Saitama proclaimed, resting his head in his right hand and closing his eyes.</p><p>“Yes,” Genos agreed, “although I am not a picky eater.”</p><p>“I love udon as well,” Katsumi chirped happily. “But that applies to practically any kind of food as long as it tastes good. I don’t discriminate~.”</p><p>“Well, to be honest, I’m also kinda low on funds right now,” confessed Saitama as he opened his eyes and focused them on a sign in the store. “Hey, how ‘bout another match, Genos?”</p><p>“Hm?” Both teens turned around and read the sign, the ruby-haired teen smirking in triumph at her guaranteed win. “Don’t count me out yet, guys~! I wanna join this match as well!”</p><p>“I dunno,” said Saitama. “Are you sure you can eat that much?”</p><p>“Why you—!” Katsumi growled with fire in her eyes. “Are you counting me out because I’m a girl? Bring it on!” She waved the chef down and pointed at the sign. “Old man! Give us one of those each! And make mine a double portion, dammit! I’m teaching these guys a lesson for underestimating me!”</p><p>“On it!” he yelped, terrified at the literal flames in her eyes and the prospect of a rampaging female.<em> ‘Must be one of those days…’</em></p><hr/><p>“Look at them, that’s insane!”</p><p>“No way!”</p><p>“Ugh,” groaned out Saitama as he collapsed on the table, his bucket of unfinished udon next to him. “I give.”</p><p>Genos finished slurping the udon from the huge, blue bucket and set it down gently on the table while looking around. “So, do I win?” He looked in the other direction as he heard another slurping sound and could barely stop his jaw from dropping.</p><p>The ruby-haired female smirked in his direction as she placed down her second empty bucket, flicking her waist-length hair over her right shoulder in triumph. “Nope. That win belongs solely to yours truly~,” she drawled, placing delicate looking fingertips over her heart before pulling them away and inspecting her black nail polish for cracks. “I wonder if I should get seconds?”</p><p>“Guh—?!” the chef exclaimed in shock. <em>‘How could this slim girl eat so much food and still want seconds? Is she even human?!’</em></p><p>“Holy crap,” exclaimed Saitama, finally lifting his head off the wooden table. “You guys are awesome! How the heck can you eat so much?!”</p><p>“Sensei, I can eat a large quantity of food because I am a cyborg,” Genos explained before tilting his head to look at the still-smirking Katsumi. “What I want to know is how you can intake such amounts of sustenance without feeling ill or gaining any weight.”</p><p>“Oh, you like that my body hasn’t changed at all?” Katsumi purred, facing Genos fully and placed a hand on his chest with enough pressure so that he would be stuck in his seat. <em>‘[Operation: Yoruichi, Lite Edition] is a go!’</em> She leaned forward and swung a leg over his thighs so that she was straddling him and pressed her chest to his, breathing lightly on his neck and internally cackling at how still he became and the shiver that ran across his body. “How bold of you~.”</p><p>Murmurs from other customers started as they gossiped about her bold actions. <em>‘Like I care about those gossipy fools! I only feel bad for Saitama, who has to deal with two teenagers that look like they’re getting it on at the table. I wanna see this cutie blush and nothing’s gonna get in my way now!’</em> she laughed internally, burying her face in his neck. The sound of the wooden restaurant door sliding open paused Katsumi in her tracks. She didn’t even have to look up, she already knew who it was, based on the stupidly expensive cologne that the newcomer was wearing. <em>‘Dammit, I really have to practice sensing for reiatsu without using [Pesquisa]. Why does it have to be this annoying guy getting in my way again? I bet I was so close to making Genos blush,’</em> she lamented, internally pouting at her misfortune. <em>‘I’ll definitely get him next time!’</em></p><p>“Welcome, sit anywhere-“ the chef broke off what he had been saying as he realized who he was talking to and gasped in shock. Murmurs arose all around the store as they saw the signature blue hair and handsome features. The footsteps approached their table and a smug voice sounded out, making Katsumi growl softly in irritation.</p><p>“You must be Genos. I’m [Amai Mask: Class A, Rank 1],” the voice introduced. “I’d like to talk to you.”</p><p>Genos didn’t move at all, in fact, Katsumi wouldn’t even be sure if he was still breathing if she couldn’t hear the short, shallow breaths he was taking. <em>‘How flattering. I guess that’s about as good of a reaction I can get with the limited timeframe,’</em> she concluded.</p><p>“[Class A: Rank 1]?” questioned Saitama, tilting his head from its place on the table to focus on the newcomer.</p><p>“It’s [Amai Mask]!” a girl exclaimed. “So gorgeous!”</p><p>Genos still hadn’t reacted in any way and from what Katsumi could sense, the annoying guy’s reiatsu was getting pretty irritated. “Aren’t you going to respond to a fellow hero, or are you too caught up in your fans to make time for others?” he questioned irritably. Katsumi just waited a couple seconds for him to actually look her over, fairly certain he would realize if he paid a little more attention. “Wait a second…that hair, those shoes - don’t tell me —!”</p><p>Katsumi lifted her head from Genos’ neck and scowled at him. “You’re interrupting, you idiot! Why are you even here? Is it for that dumb rookie crushing thing?”</p><p>The customers gasped at how rude she was being to <em>the</em> [Amai Mask], but he was wrecking the atmosphere, so she didn’t give a damn.</p><p>“Goddess, why are you with him?!” lamented Amai Mask as he despaired over her having a potential boyfriend.</p><p>“‘Goddess’?!” squeaked out Katsumi, breaking into a cold sweat at how close her secret was to being exposed to a whole bunch of people. “I told you not to call me that, stupid!” She hurriedly slid off Genos and heedless of the stares she received, she grabbed one of their arms each and started dragging them outside. “Let’s talk outside! We’ll be right back, Saitama!” she called over her shoulder.</p><hr/><p>“Now then,” Katsumi growled out, crossing her arms beneath her bust. “What the hell are you here for? If for a rookie crush, or whatever it’s called…” she trailed off warningly, giving him time to either explain or run away, depending on the reason for his visit.</p><p>“No, no, nothing like that, I assure you!” Amai Mask denied, raising his hands in order to placate the irritated woman. “As if I would take part in those ridiculous things, your words wound me, Goddess.”</p><p>“Why…,” asked Genos, finally starting to talk again, “Why do you refer to her as ‘Goddess’?”</p><p>Katsumi stiffened even more as Amai Mask gave a smug smile. “Oh, you don’t know? Doesn’t she trust you with her secrets, Genos?” Genos scowled as the blue-haired man’s smile widened, feeling a pang of sadness in his chest. He turned towards the woman in question as he felt her tugging on his arm, managing to refrain from wincing as he saw her regretful expression.</p><p>“It’s not like that!” she huffed, fidgeting and shuffling in place before taking a deep breath and steeling herself. “I’m sorry for not telling the whole truth. I am also the Hero known as the [Flash Goddess: Class S, Rank 13].”</p><p>“[Flash Goddess]?!” Genos exclaimed, shocked by the turn of events.</p><p>“Yeah. Sorry again for not telling you guys,” Katsumi apologized, bowing slightly in apology before straightening up and scowling in Amai Mask’s direction, who had - thankfully - opted to stay out of the conversation for now. “I just didn’t want to deal with reporters and annoying fans like that guy if you gave it away by accident.”</p><p>“I can understand that perfectly fine. And I apologize for pressuring you into sharing your secret,” replied Genos, bowing slightly as well.</p><p>“…”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“This is really awkward,” complained Katsumi, turning away in exasperation and starting to walk away. “Genos, feel free to tell Saitama about it, I honestly don’t mind. Just do it in a private place so that no one accidentally overhears or something. I’m going home now. And if you want more details, feel free to ask, neighbor~.”</p><p>“Going home?” questioned the cyborg, worried for your safety at this time of night. “Would you like me to call you a cab?”</p><p>“How chivalrous~,” a female voice cooed in amusement from behind him, her breath tickling his ear. Genos’ pupils constricted to pinpricks as he stiffened in shock, even as he felt arms wrap around him and warmth pressing against his back. <em>‘What— Katsumi?! That’s impossible, she’s walking right over…there…’</em> Even as the blond watched, the image of Katsumi walking away slowly faded like a mirage and he gasped lightly. <em>‘A speed clone? And I didn’t even see any blurs of movement at all—! What ridiculous speed!’</em></p><p>“That kind of attitude really stirs me up, but I should probably leave now,” Katsumi sighed regretfully, slipping a wad of Yen into his back pocket and grinning when the cyborg breathed out harshly. “Goodnight~!”</p><p>She pressed a quick kiss onto the black, synthetic material of his neck and used [Shunpo] as she sped off into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>For all you returning readers, I have added [Pesquisa] to Katsumi’s personal skills as well as [Cero Doble]. </p><p>Don't forgot to leave Kudos and comment!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. PENDULUM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>This chapter is full of flashbacks and character building! Also, a heart-to-heart conversation with our favorite cyborg! Sorry if it’s not your cup of tea, but there will be more action in the following chapters!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything in this fic except for Katsumi</p><p>Hey guys, this chapter was a lot longer than my previous ones by far! Don’t worry, most of it’s Genos’ backstory monologue! Just kidding, but I honestly typed a good chunk of his giant speech out. Are you proud of me? </p><p>Anyways, hope you enjoy~!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>[12 YEARS AGO]</b>
</p><p>The small girl sniffled lightly, her nose red from the biting cold of the winter breeze and her ruby-colored eyes filling with water as she stumbled through the snow-filled streets. Though the sun was only just beginning to set, the white environment around her was completely devoid of life, the winter chill encouraging regular commuters to scurry home quickly and stay inside to stave off the cold. The ruby-haired child shivered violently, the passing breeze cutting through the multiple layers of jackets she had on and causing her to sneeze from the cold.</p><p>“Where are you, Milo?” she called out in the white silence, the wind stealing her words away, sending flurries of snow into the air as she searched for paw prints on the ground, hoping that they would lead her to the runaway cat. “I brought your blanket with me, you dummy! If you stay outside without it in this cold, you’ll freeze into an ice cube forever!”</p><p>Another violent shiver wracked the girl’s body and she clutched the thick blanket she was holding closer to her chest in a desperate attempt for warmth, her warm breath creating clouds as they met with the icy cold. She yelped in shock as the next breeze was strong enough to send her tumbling to the snow-covered pavement, wincing at the sting in her palms and knees as they came into contact with the biting chill. “Owie,” she groaned, starting to pick herself up before something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.</p><p><em>‘Aha!’</em> she thought triumphantly, gazing at the little indentations in the snow. <em>‘Paw prints!’</em> She quickly scrambled to her feet, shaking clumps of snow off her clothing and followed the trail, picking up speed now that she had a solid lead on the location of her wayward cat. Pausing at the entrance of a suspicious-looking alleyway that the tracks led into, the six-year old bit her lip and shuffled in her spot, burying her snow boots deeper into the snow as she eyed the alleyway dubiously, hyperaware of the shadows that were slowly but steadily growing with each passing moment.</p><p><em>‘This definitely looks like one of those places where people are killed in the news reports,’</em> she mused to herself, before a thought struck her. <em>‘What if a criminal is attacking Milo because he walked into a suspicious alley?! Milo, you dummy, don’t you watch the news?!’</em> lamented the girl before shaking off her nerves and gaining a determined gleam in her ruby irises as she clenched her small, gloved hands into fists.<em> ‘That sounds like one of those bad Hero vs Monster scenarios that stupid Tatsu makes up. There’s no way something like that happens in real life.’</em></p><p>With a satisfied huff of air that formed a little misty cloud, the determined six-year old stormed into the alley, only to pause in shock at the figures she saw within. Certainly, she could see her tabby cat, who was also shivering in the freezing weather, but the other…</p><p>“Mwahahaha,” laughed the misshapen blob of moving snow. “I, [Snow Man] have finally captured a victim!”</p><p><em>‘No way,’ </em>the girl screamed internally, even as she externally sweatdropped at the ridiculous situation she found herself in, <em>‘this dumb stuff actually happens in real life?!’</em></p><p>“…and the people will have to bow down to me,” the girl heard as she finally listened to the monologue of the moving snowman, watching him cackle through dull eyes. “Me, [Snow Man], the greatest Monster in the world!”</p><p><em>‘Yeah, there’s no way this lame looking guy is stronger than some random person on the street,’</em> the ruby-haired girl thought in exasperation, eyeing the still-monologuing monster. <em>‘What a waste of time. I wanna drink some hot chocolate already! I’ll make this meanie pay for cornering Milo in an alleyway! What a creep!’</em></p><p>“Snowman-san,” bit out the girl, gritting her chattering teeth in annoyance as she interrupted his rambling tirade. “Can I have my cat back, please? This weather is really cold so I wanna go home.”</p><p>“Hoh? Rebelling against your inevitable end?” asked Snow Man as he moved closer to the child and loomed over her menacingly, his eyes gleaming with sadistic glee. “Also, my name is [Snow Man], not Snowman - ”</p><p>“Like there’s a difference,” she interrupted again. “Please give me my cat back, he might get a cold from staying in this weather without his blanket.” The cat in question was further in the alley, shivering from the chill, but not moving closer to the standoff between the child and the monster. Smart cat.</p><p>“You damn brat,” spit out Snow Man, raising a snowy arm high to strike the child down. “Interrupting your elders when they’re speaking…I’ll teach you some manners! First I’m gonna kill you, then your stupid cat. Then-”</p><p>“You’re going to do <em>what</em> to my cat?” a growl came from the girl and the monster stepped back in shock at the pure <em>hate</em> in the sound, suddenly freezing where he stood and trembling in terror. <em>‘I can’t move!’ </em>he realized. <em>‘What the fuck is this pressure—?!’</em></p><p>“First, you ambush Milo in a dodgy alleyway, like one of those creepy weirdoes on the news, then you made him stay in the cold without even giving him a blanket,“ the six-year old snarled, not noticing the pressure she was forcing on the terrified criminal in front of her due to her anger as she dropped Milo’s blanket on the snow laden ground, clenching her fists. “<em>Then</em>, you threaten to kill him?! I’ll make you repent for your sins, you stupid…BULLY!”</p><p>The girl aimed a rather well-thrown punch at the criminal, fully intending to give him a big bruise - could snow even get bruises? - on his chest as a payment for harassing her cat, but due to her unexpected strength, [Snow Man] crumpled around her fist, his bloodshot eyes widening in shock and pain before launching away from her fist and splattering into chunks of snow and ice as he he harshly impacted the brick wall at the end of the alley.</p><p>“Oh no!” the girl - Katsumi - gasped. “I didn’t mean to hit you so hard, Snowman-san! Are you alright?” She jogged over to the chunks of snow - wrapping Milo into his blanket and tucking him under her left arm on the way - and patted the lump that used to be his head with her free, gloved hand. “Snowman-san! Please answer-”</p><p>Loud claps rang out from the mouth of the alley and Katsumi whirled around, her ruby hair flaring out at the sudden movement, startled by the sudden sounds in the previously silent area. She gazed at the shadowed figure before her, not discerning anything from the newcomer besides that fact that he was a rather well-dressed young man wearing glasses. Along the street, streetlights started flickering on, their dim lighting illuminating the figure standing outside the alley and causing Katsumi to relax a little - the man didn’t look like a serial killer.</p><p>“What a truly extravagant performance,” the man praised, looking down at the short figure of the girl who could hold the answers to all of his questions. “A stunning example of the miracles the human race can achieve when placed into circumstances beyond their control and under great duress!”</p><p>“Uh, Mister,” Katsumi called out to the tall figure. He may be stranger, but he didn’t look like a criminal and it never hurt to be polite. “I dunno what some of your words mean, but you sound really smart! Are you a doctor?” she asked.</p><p>“Why, as a matter of fact, I am,” he stated proudly, smirking while pushing his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, making them glint in the low light. “Why do you ask?”</p><p>“Um, this guy was being really creepy,” the girl said, pointing at the pile of snow that remained from [Snow Man]. “And I punched him to make him sorry for being mean to Milo, but he broke or something. Can you fix him?”</p><p>“Probably,” the doctor stated nonchalantly, rubbing his hands together for warmth.</p><p>“That’s great, Mister Doctor guy!” Katsumi cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “I’ll apologize for breaking him when he wakes up. Thanks for helping! Wait, where are you going?” she called out to the man as he started walking away.</p><p>“I’ve seen everything I need to,” he said before raising his voice and calling out, “[Armored Gorilla], take her, but leave the failed subject behind.”</p><p>“Huh?!” exclaimed Katsumi as a giant figure in full plate armor dropped down in front of her and gripped her right wrist firmly, blocking the way to escape as well as restraining her. “Let me go! What are you doing?!”</p><p>“Do not struggle,” echoed a mechanical voice from inside the helmet of [Armored Gorilla]. “You will not be harmed if you desist from running away.”</p><p>“Why should I go with you, you creepy weirdo? Let me go right now, or I’m gonna kick your butt,” the six-year old bluffed, still struggling from the iron grip that encased her right wrist.</p><p>“Understood,” replied the armored giant, the robotic voice giving Katsumi the chills. “Chloroform is to be used with unruly subjects.”</p><p><em>‘No!’</em> she thought, struggling wildly.<em> ‘No one knows I’m outside, and my foster parents don’t even care if I disappear. If they take me, it will be like I never existed, and no one will remember I was even here! I refuse to be forgotten!’</em></p><p>As she struggled, she let go of Milo - both him and his blanket falling into the snow beneath her - mentally urging him to hide so he wouldn’t be hurt and smiling when he scurried back into the alleyway and hid behind a mound of snow. She kicked [Armored Gorilla] in the stomach as hard as she could, her unnatural strength leaving a small dent in the plating over his abdomen. While he was distracted with getting a rag of chloroform from somewhere on his person, Katsumi yanked off the silver necklace she always wore - its only ornamentation being the black, titanium ring her birth parents had left her. A few ruby strands of hair came off in the process and got tangled in the chain, but she didn’t care and tossed the necklace by Milo’s feet, disguising her actions as wild flailing of her arms. “Guh, let me go!”</p><p>A metal hand clamped a chloroform soaked rag over her nose and mouth and Katsumi tried to hold her breath but failed when the hand enclosing her wrist squeezed tighter, forcing her to gasp in pain and inhale the compound. As her eyes fluttered shut, her violent struggles weakened and a last thought echoed through her mind.</p><p>
  <em>‘Don’t…forget me…’</em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[PRESENT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“…And then I woke up strapped to an operating table and had to go through really painful experiments!” the teenager exclaimed, waving her arms around expressively. “But after two years of being lab rats, a friend and I managed to escape from that hellhole and make new lives!”</p><p>“…” Saitama stared at the smiling girl, a bit baffled at how happy she was. It had been five days since he made his professional debut as a hero, but so far, nothing major had happened. The only thing bothering him was the fact that Genos had come to his apartment again with a large pack on his back and a request to be roommates. He had initially refused, but finally relented due to his generosity. (Genos had offered to pay rent).</p><p>While the bald man had been going through an internal crisis about his lack of ability to teach Genos <em>anything at all, </em>his new neighbor had politely barged in, sat down at his table next to Genos, confessed her guilt over her secret Hero identity and then proceeded to spill some of her depressing backstory to Genos and him, all with a creepily out-of-place smile.</p><p>“Katsumi!” gasped Genos, a devastated expression on his usually stoic features. “That sounds terrible! How can you still be so happy after living through such a traumatizing experience? Are you looking for this doctor so that you can exact your revenge on him?”</p><p>“Revenge?” questioned Katsumi, her brows furrowing slightly as she looked into the cyborg’s eyes. “Why would I waste my time on something nonsensical like that?”</p><p>“Four years ago…” started off Genos (“Oh, not again!” yelled Saitama), “I was a normal human being until I was about 15. I lived a peaceful and relatively happy life together with my family in this dog-eat dog world. But one day, a crazy cyborg went out of control and attacked our town. A runaway cyborg…I suppose a failure in his body modification generated an irregularity in his brain. He was destroying everything. Parks, schools, buildings, my house…he even took the lives of my family.</p><p>“Miraculously, I survived. I was just a weak, fifteen-year-old boy, alone in the ruins of that town and at the end of my strength. Just then, Professor Kuseno happened by. He was a Professor For Justice on a journey to stop the violence committed by the rampaging cyborg who had attacked my town. I asked Professor Kuseno to perform a procedure to modify my body. Then I was reborn as a Cyborg For Justice and promised Professor Kuseno that someday I would destroy that rampaging cyborg.</p><p>“Four years passed. I was 19 and rambling from town to town and exterminating evil. I had defeated countless monsters and evil organizations. But because I had turned up no clue to the rampaging cyborg, I was spending my days in irritation and impatience. Then, I met Saitama-sensei when he saved my life from a mosquito monster that I had underestimated the strength of, and asked him if I could study under him so that I could learn how to get his great strength so that I could defeat the rampaging cyborg, my archenemy! The fight isn’t only for myself - I also bear the burden of my hometown and Professor Kuseno!”</p><p>“Thank god that’s over,” murmured Saitama from where he had collapsed on the floor, twitching from listening to Genos’ speech. He couldn’t believe he had to listen through that long-winded spiel <em>again</em>, did Genos have it recorded somewhere or something? It sounded practically the same as the one the cyborg had told him!</p><p>“Ah, I see,” Katsumi sighed with a pensive expression overtaking her usually-smiling face, grabbing Genos’ metallic left hand with her own delicate-seeming right hand, twining their fingers together so that both their palms were flush against each other’s. “We’re so similar that it’s actually kinda scary. Genos, when my friend and I first escaped, both of us were…not in a good mental place. We were so consumed with our need for revenge that we separated from each other in a search for power after about two months of living together on the streets.”</p><p>She laughed bitterly, her eyes seeing images that weren’t there, recalling a harsher time when she was always cold, hurt and angry. “How stupid,” she spat out bitterly, tightening her grip on Genos’ hand without noticing, the metal starting to creak dangerously. “Can you imagine it? An eight-year old kid roaming the streets, half-crazy and always on the verge of passing out from hunger, exhaustion, you name it. I finally saw all the injustice in this shitty world, and it made me…so angry. I went around picking fights that I only won through sheer dumb luck and an extremely high pain tolerance.</p><p>“If I hadn’t met my sensei then, I don’t even want to know what would’ve happened to me. She rescued me from my own stupidity and gave me a place in the world. Sometime after she started training me, she said something super dumb - I don’t even remember what it was - and for some reason, I laughed. I was so stunned by my laughter that I broke down crying when I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time that I had actually genuinely enjoyed something in my life…</p><p>“That was the reality check that my sensei had been waiting for, apparently,” mused Katsumi, lifting her left hand from the table and brushing her thumb lightly over Genos’ well-defined cheekbone. “She told me that I had to realize the life that I was missing out on and set my priories straight. I could dedicate my life to revenge and squander this second chance I had been gifted with, but even if I had obtained my revenge, what would I do next? Instead, I chose to savor this opportunity that many of the other children in that lab would’ve killed for and decided to live the best life possible and help shape a world that they would’ve been happy in.</p><p>“That’s why I accepted the offer the Hero Association made when they saw me taking down a [Level: Demon] monster,” she shrugged carelessly, dropping her left hand back on the table and focusing her gaze down at their entwined hands. “I figured that being a Class S Hero would help me in finding my old friend, as well as fulfilling my goal to change this world and leave it in a better shape than I found it.”</p><p>At the silence reigning in the room, Katsumi looked up from their contrasting hands and flushed slightly at the way that Genos was looking at her face in amazement, his intense eyes catching her attention and drawing her gaze in. <em>‘Beautiful,’</em> she thought, moving forward so that she could study them in more detail, the cyborg mirroring her movements unthinkingly. <em>‘Despite how inhuman they are, those emotions burning within them is so beautifully human…’</em></p><p>“Um,” interrupted Saitama, his bland voice cutting through the atmosphere more effectively than a sharp knife. “If you guys are gonna start making out, don’t do it at my table.”</p><p>“HUH?” squeaked Katsumi, a furious blush springing into existence on her face as she realized that their faces were only a few millimeters apart and that they had gotten closer and closer together while staring into each others’ eyes. <em>‘Don’t think about it like that! How mortifying!!!’ </em>Quickly dislodging their fingers, the blushing teen all but snatched her hand away and buried her boiling face in them, peeking through a gap in her fingers and spotting a hint of red on the cyborg’s face. ‘<em>No way, he can actually blush! That’s so fuckin’ cute, I can’t believe it had to come at the expense of my embarrassment too, damn.’</em></p><p><em>‘How amazing,’ </em>the cyborg thought. <em>‘That kind of resolve is beautiful to see…’</em> Genos continued staring at her for a few moments with wide eyes before violently shaking his head and turning to Saitama with his default expression, perfectly calm if it wasn’t for the telltale red scrawling up his pale cheeks. “By the way Sensei, according to the seminar we attended, a Class C Hero who remains inactive for one week is dropped from the Hero Registry. Will you be alright?” he asked, thankful for the quick distraction to diffuse the awkward tension that hung in the air.</p><p>“They said that?” questioned Saitama, nervously sweating as he stared at the blond teen in growing horror.</p><p>“Yes,” the cyborg confirmed mercilessly, without softening the blow at all, the blush fading from his face as he wrestled his emotions under control. “There are tons of Class C guys, and the bar is low, so they weed them out.”</p><p>“But nothing’s come up on TV…” the sweating man refuted weakly, knowing he was just grasping at non-existent straws.</p><p>“The media only reports major incidents such as natural disasters requiring evacuation, terrorism and the appearance of dangerous monsters,” Genos informed his sensei helpfully, in a matter-of-fact tone. “You may not be aware of it because you have only confronted Supervillains and evil Organizations that no one else could handle…but Class C Heroes mainly address purse-snatchers, robbers and street assailants. Most Class C heroes do not last long unless they keep themselves active. They grow discouraged and change jobs. If they do not pound the pavement and drum up results like a salaryman, no one pays any attention to them.”</p><p>“This is no time to be reading manga!” yelled Saitama, leaping up from his futon and hurriedly putting his hero costume on.</p><p>“Are we leaving?” Genos asked, calmly standing up beside the table and glancing to Katsumi who just shook her head at him.</p><p>“You guys stay here!” Saitama quickly blurted out, yanking on articles of clothing as he started ranting. “If I’m seen with two Class S Heroes like you guys, you’ll get credit for anything I do!”</p><p>“He’s right, Genos,” confirmed Katsumi, brushing dust off her stockings as she calmly stood up. “The public is easily influenced by things they hear in the media. If a bystander reported to the Association or the news that two Class S Heroes and one Class C Hero had taken down a threat, it is very likely that Saitama won’t be mentioned at all, or that the news channel will make a comment on how he is riding on our achievements as a way to gain popularity.”</p><p>“But as your disciple—!”</p><p>“Genos…my intense desire to be a Hero is what led me down the path of strength training, that’s how I made it this far,” said the caped man, plastering a serious expression on his face. ”Maybe if you too live as if aiming higher as a Hero - to be more than what you are now, something will change. To put it bluntly, you’re a cyborg, so physical training means nothing. Instead, you may be able to get stronger with simply the right attitude.”</p><p><em>‘Damn, what am I even saying? I’m just making all this crap up!’</em> Saitama panicked internally. He made the mistake of quickly glancing at the only female in the room and started sweating more heavily at the perfect deadpan expression on her face. ‘<em>I knew it! There’s definitely no way they’re gonna buy this!’</em></p><p>“So…in other words, train your spirit before worrying about strength through power or technology. You must first fight your way through the professional Hero industry. Aim to make the top ten of the Class S Ranking. That will be your goal for the time being,” he finished, swiftly turning around to conceal his panicked expression.</p><p>Genos opened his eyes, his features set into a determined countenance as he processed his sensei’s instructions. “I understand! I will do it!”</p><p><em>‘He totally bought it,’</em> celebrated Saitama, feeling satisfied with how well he could bluff as he hastily exited the apartment.<em> ‘Phew~’</em></p><p>“Hmph,” huffed Katsumi, crossing her arms beneath her breasts disapprovingly as the front door closed with a soft clicking noise.<em> ‘That man is lucky that his shitty speech actually made sense, otherwise I would’ve nailed him right in the balls for making up random garbage to tell Genos.’ </em>Walking to the front door, she pulled on her treasured platforms, zipping them up before turning back around to face the cyborg. “Anyway, it was nice catching up with you guys, but I need to go to the supermarket,” she said, smiling briefly at him before turning to face the door again. “I ran out of bacon.”</p><p>“Wait.”</p><p>“Hm? Don’t tell me…you wanted to give me a kiss goodbye~?” she asked, turning around to face him again, and giving him a teasing wink. “So gentlemanly~!”</p><p>“Ah, that wasn’t it!” denied Genos, widening his eyes in shock as he took a quick step back, feeling unbalanced by the rapid reappearance of her playful personality. He cleared his throat to regain his composure and walked to stand in front of her. “It was about what you said before…that figure that attacked you. You said his name was [Armored Gorilla], correct?”</p><p>“Yes…” Katsumi confirmed, squinting her eyes at him in suspicion. “What about it?”</p><p>“That doctor that kidnapped you,” questioned Genos, “is it possible his name was Dr. Genus from the House of Evolution?”</p><p>“EH?!” shouted the ruby-haired teen, waving her arms around in shock.”Have you et the Doctor? He didn’t dissect you as well, did he?!”</p><p>“Dissect…<em>as well</em>?”</p><p>“H-Haha, I was just joking around. Ignore what I just said.” Katsumi poked a manicured finger into the metal plating of Genos’ chest, drawing his golden gaze to her ruby orbs as she diverted the conversation sloppily. “But you mentioned that whack-job doctor, so you must know something…when did you meet him?”</p><p>“Well, he sent some minions after Saitama-sensei’s body (“That sounds weird when you say it like that,” muttered the girl), one of which was known as [Armored Gorilla],” spilled Genos, feeling nervous from how close the girl was to him, especially because of their almost-kiss before. “We interrogated them for the details to their base and then Sensei beat up everyone inside.”</p><p>“And the Doctor…what happened to him?” asked Katsumi as she bit her lower lip, feeling nervous for his answer despite not knowing why.</p><p>“He disbanded the House of Evolution after he had a change of heart,” Genos admitted guiltily, clenching his fists in anger as he bowed to Katsumi in apology. “If I had known the extent of his crimes—!”</p><p>Katsumi laughed in relief, placing her hands on the cyborg’s shoulders and pulling him upright and into a tight hug, burying her face into the crook of his neck as she smiled through her tears.</p><p>“Aren’t you angry, Katsumi…?” the cyborg asked in confusion, panicking when he pulled back and saw the tears on her face. “You’re crying! I’m sorry for not exacting vengeance for you-”</p><p>“No…I’m just so happy for some reason,” she laughed wetly, brushing away the shimmering droplets of water from the corners of her eyes. “I guess…no matter how many atrocities he’s committed, the Doctor was the closest person in my life that I had for a father.”</p><p>“A father?!”</p><p>“Yeah, my foster parents didn’t give a damn about me at all, I mean, it’s not like they abused me or anything, but I don’t even know if they knew my name - their maid was the one who I interacted with the most. When I came back after my training trip with Sensei I wanted to reconnect with my old life - to feel normal again, you know? I searched around discreetly and I found out that they didn’t even report me missing to the Police!” she spat wrapping her arms around herself protectively, disgusted at their negligence. “My best friend at the time was the one who told them I had been kidnapped, but nobody believed him and I was just labelled in the system as ‘Missing’.”</p><p>“Why, those—!”</p><p>“Don’t be mad, Genos, I got over it a long time ago,” Katsumi sighed sadly. “But the Doctor and I talked occasionally, and despite being completely misguided, he’s not a terrible person. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to kill him from time to time, but he was the one who provided the opportunity for me to get this new life - I know that he let me escape that day. Being sloppily transferred to another lab on that particular day, and in perfect range of another escaping subject? I may have a high enough luck, but that escape was too perfect to not be arranged. I guess the Doctor wanted to test my functioning in the real world.”</p><p>“That doesn’t exactly sound like a well functioning relationship,” Genos commented, slightly understanding what she was talking about, but not fully comprehending the full scope of the situation. “Aren’t you angry about the possible life he stole from you?”</p><p>“Obviously!” she exclaimed, slightly annoyed at how pessimistic the cyborg was, even if that anger was completely understandable. “But that possible life…it’s left in the past now, and there’s absolutely nothing I can do to bring it back, not even if I kill every single person that has wronged me. Listen Genos…I’m not telling you to stop looking for that rampaging cyborg, but don’t keep your eyes fixed in the past or you won’t be able to see all the things that are already right in front of you. Live freely without being shackled down and be happy.”</p><p>“Right in front of me…” he repeated, gazing at the oblivious girl before quirking his lips into a small smile. “Do you have any photos of that friend you’re looking for? I will assist you in your search for him if that would make you happy.”</p><p>“Uh, right here,” replied Katsumi, slightly startled at his abrupt change in topic.<em> ‘I wonder what that’s about.’</em> Fishing out a well-worn photo from the pocket of her hoodie, she gently unfolded the image and presented it to Genos. The picture was of a tall, handsome, silver-haired male in a dojo. He wearing a necklace and some loose fitting pants <em>and nothing else</em>. (Genos was definitely regretting his offer now.)</p><p>“I guess he found my necklace in the alleyway, which is probably how he figured out that I was kidnapped,” she said fondly, running her fingers gently over the worn image, the soft smile on her face doing weird things to Genos’ core. “If you ever see him, tell him I want the ring on it back. And the only way he’ll get it again is if I propose to him.”</p><p>“Propose?!”</p><p>“Yeah, that’s an engagement ring. The only person supposed to be wearing it - besides me - is my future husband. What’s the matter, Genos?” Katsumi asked cluelessly, growing concerned for the violently twitching male.</p><p>“It’s nothing, Katsumi,” replied Genos, a strained smile on his face. “I shall endeavor to retrieve your jewelry post-haste.”</p><p>
  <em>‘I want the person a lot more than the jewelry, but okay. I wonder what he’s so fired up for.’</em>
</p><p>“Thanks, Genos. This really means a lot to me. But if I could get one more thing from you?”</p><p>“Anything!”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[ROUGHLY FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER]</b>
</p><p>Dispassionate ruby irises gazed at the rubble littering the dirt floor of the crater, easily catching sight of the metal trapdoor that had been half-pried open, regardless of the fact that Katsumi was standing over a hundred meters in the air. ‘<em>They sure did a hell of a lot of damage to this place,’</em> the teenager thought approvingly as she looked at what remained of the House of Evolution’s Headquarters. After receiving the location from Genos, Katsumi had quickly changed and used lazy shunpoes to find the remains of the organization, arriving in a mere five minutes despite Genos informing her that it was around 4 hours away at a normal walking speed.</p><p>She closed her eyes and breathed calmly, using a [Pesquisa] to sense if there was anyone inside the underground base, smiling slightly when her search turned up empty. <em>‘Seems Genos was right when he said the Doctor had turned over a new leaf. If I ever catch him doing immoral experiments though…,’ </em>her eyes snapped open, exposing the cold gaze within,<em> ‘he’s gonna wish he killed himself when he had the chance!’ </em></p><p>Katsumi yelled in anger as she shot towards the ground, flipping mid-air and unleashing a brutal axe-kick on the forest floor, a ridiculously large crater immediately appearing in the previously flat area, as well as causing an unprecedented amount of dust to fly into the air. With her enhanced senses, she could hear passageways collapsing underground, but it just wasn’t enough. “Disappear,” she raged, “I want this entire place to disappear—!”</p><p>Releasing the Kido seal and the chokehold she had on her massive stores of reiatsu, a giant beam of violet light that could be seen from miles away shot into the clouds before suddenly dispersing after a few seconds. Where there had previously been a cliff and forested hills in the area, nothing now remained, completely disintegrating from the sheer force of the oppressive reiatsu that had been brought about. “Shit!” gasped Katsumi, panting from the effort of holding her reiatsu in without the Kido seal. “I lost control again. Dammit.”</p><p>Quickly reapplying the Kido, the teen gasped in relief as the reiatsu she was barely gripping onto was sealed away, leaving her with the excess amount that couldn’t be contained by the high-grade Kido. Looking around, Katsumi realized that she was at the bottom of a crater so large that she estimated was slightly bigger than a large football stadium. Additionally, she also remembered that her clothes were decidedly <em>not</em> immune to disintegration via her reiatsu, so she was completely naked…at the bottom of a football stadium-sized crater, in the middle of a forest…and covered in dust.</p><p>“At least I already knew what to expect and came in a baggy, old jumper and sweatpants,” she said optimistically, jumping into the air and using [Shunpo] to travel back to her apartment so she could have a nice shower. “I'll have to call Z and tell him about the House of Evolution since he's involved as well. But my reiatsu got stronger again…what happens when the Kido can’t hold it back anymore…?”</p><p>(AN. She totally forgot to call her friend, welp.)</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[TWO DAYS LATER]</b>
</p><p>“Reports have come in from each location being investigated,” Sekingar announced, placing his device on the table and allowing it to synchronize, holograms popping up with reports detailing incidents. “First is the report from [Watchdog Man: Class S] Hero investigating City Q. ‘Nothing unusual.’”</p><p>“‘Nothing unusual’?” repeated an executive.</p><p>“Yes sir.”</p><p>“That’s hard to believe. We all know that City Q is a hot-zone, with more casualties and monsters than any other area under our jurisdiction.”</p><p>“Well sir, knowing him, I’m confident he believes that whatever may occur, he’ll be able to take care of it on his own, without assistance. Though he’s focused his efforts on City Q, his track record on monster elimination is top notch. There’s really no need to worry.”</p><p>“Class S Heroes don’t pay attention to details. They’re not ones for writing reports,” commented another executive.</p><p>“Next: City W. Class A Hero [Heavy Kong] reports: ‘Nothing unusual’. In City H, [Mushroom], Class B and [Horsebone], Class C report: ’Nothing unusual’. In City D, [Lightning-bolt Genji], Class A reports: ‘Slow restoration after the devastation caused by the gigantic creature aside, nothing unusual.’”</p><p>“Cities B and D both sustained extensive damage…causing intense criticism of the Association,” a female executive inputted.</p><p>“In order to prevent more disasters from occurring, we must be diligent and uncover any covert activity that can threaten our society,” said Sekingar.</p><p>“That is the purpose of this investigation,” stated Sitch. “Discovering the monsters beforehand is difficult.”</p><p>“City F is in the hands of the Class A Hero, [Snakebite Snek]. He reports: ‘[Hammerhead], former head of the terrorist group known as the [Paradisers], is loitering around in a suit. Will investigate.’”</p><p>“What about City Z?” questioned an executive. “We’ve heard that the seeds of disaster lie in that suburban ghost town.”</p><p>“The only report from City Z was from the Class S Hero [Flash Goddess]. She reports: ‘You guys have probably got a ton of complaints about a light show happening around here yesterday, so I wanted to tell you not to worry about it. My bad, I let loose a little. Also, don’t even bother sending any small-fry weaklings to investigate here. You’ll be lucky if you have to pay for their medical expenses rather than their funeral rites.’”</p><p>“‘My bad’? ‘Small-fry weaklings’?” sputtered an executive angrily. “These Class S Heroes need to get off their high horses and show some respect.”</p><p>“How arrogant can that woman get?” asked another in a derisive tone, crossing his arms in disapproval.</p><p>“Upon further investigation with drones, we ascertained that a large area of forest had been decimated, but there were no casualties,” Sekingar said, bringing up images on the hologram to display the humongous crater, silencing the chattering executives at the table.</p><p>“<em>That’s</em> her letting ‘loose a little’?” nervously questioned a heavily sweating executive. “I don’t want to see what it looks like when she gets serious.”</p><p>“You can say that again.”</p><p>“I guess that arrogance is justified,” commented another, cold sweat dripping from his brow as he gazed at the giant crater.</p><p>“Besides that, no other reports have come in yet. Two Class A Heroes skilled in battle are performing the investigation.”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[LATER THAT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“Sensei, why is there so much kombu outside your door?” asked Genos as he went inside their apartment and shut the door, finding his teacher boiling some kombu in hot water in the kitchen.</p><p>“Oh yeah, funny story. I uh…just happened to catch it…for a really good price,” he lied without shame, using a pair of chopsticks to pick up a piece that looked nicely cooked.</p><p>Two knocks sounded on the door and a smiling ruby-haired teen opened the front door and peeped her head into the kitchen. “Hey guys! Why is there so much kombu outside your door?” she questioned, a little confused at how Saitama managed to find a large crate of it on sale.<em> ‘Damn, if I had known kombu was on sale today, I would’ve bought some for myself!’</em></p><p>“Also, you guys left your door unlocked. That’s dangerous.”</p><p>“Oh, Katsumi!” exclaimed Genos, turning around to face her. “Sensei managed to get it at a good price, so I assumed he bought it in bulk to save money.”</p><p>“I knew I should’ve checked sales today,” she sighed in disappointment. “But I read somewhere that kombu promotes hair growth, so I guess you got real lucky with that sale, Saitama.”</p><p>“Indeed,” added Genos, not noticing the shadowed expression on the bald man’s face. “But there is no scientific proof, so its real benefits have yet to be confirmed. I did some research, so I am certain of this. For example, according to this site-”</p><p>“No one said anything about hair!”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[12 YEARS AGO]</b>
</p><p>“Thanks, Milo,” a silver-haired boy said to the cat he was following, moving at a fast pace to keep up with the feline, as well as to ward off the chilly weather. “I was really worried when Katsumi didn’t show up to school yesterday. I’ll mess up her hair real good when I find out where she’s been ditching school to run off to.”</p><p>“Hey, wait up!” he called as the cat darted into an alley, vanishing from sight. Stopping at the entrance to the alley, he rested his hands on his knees and bent over slightly, out of energy from chasing a cat around all day. Getting his breathing under control, the boy glared at the feline standing in the alley that was filled with rather big chunks of snow. <em>‘That’s kinda weird. Meh, it’s probably nothing.’</em></p><p>“Where’s Katsumi, Milo? Don’t mess around, you dumb cat, and show me where she is,” he berated, annoyed that this cat had led him to a literal dead end in his search for his best friend. Stepping closer to the cat, he crouched down and opened his arms so that Milo could jump in them and they could start looking for Katsumi again instead of wasting time. He wasn’t prepared for the feline to leap at him, sending him tumbling on his back in the snow as he yelled in shock the sudden action and the cold that invaded his bones. “Y-You, stupid cat…”</p><p>His voice trailed off as his golden eyes caught something metallic glinting in the sunlight that had been uncovered by his fall in the snow and he slowly stood up and made his way over, a feeling of trepidation crawling through his veins like ice. His heart was pounding in his chest and there was a roaring in his ears that drowned out the other noises around him as he walked to the glinting in the snow, half of him already knowing what he would find there, and the other half wanting to run away so that he wouldn’t ever have to know. Falling to his knees in front of it, he watched as trembling hands - were those his hands? He couldn’t tell, everything was getting blurry - brushed away the light layer of snow and fished out a broken, silver chain with a black ring dangling from it.</p><p><em>‘This can’t be happening,’</em> he thought hysterically, closing his eyes as though the evidence would disappear and everything would go back to normal if he did. <em>‘Maybe it’s not hers—’ </em>His eyes snapped open and he grit his teeth in anger at the ruby-colored strands of hair tangled in the broken chain that seemed to be mocking him. Clenching the necklace in a trembling fist, heedless of the chain cutting into the palm of his flesh, the boy swept piercing eyes over the alley, noting that there were no blood stains that he could see, but there was a suspicious-looking cloth at the entrance of the alleyway that he missed on his first inspection.</p><p><em>‘Someone kidnapped her,’</em> he realized. <em>‘Someone kidnapped Katsumi - and nobody helped.’</em></p><p>“Why?” Garou asked in a trembling voice, with tears running down his cheeks and blood dripping from where the chain had cut into his hand, dyeing the snow beneath him a brilliant crimson color. “Why did no heroes help?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>How did you like it? Don’t forget to leave kudos and a comment, and stay tuned for more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. CATACLYSM</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It’s the meteor!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything in this fic except for Katsumi</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Regular talking.”</p><p>‘<em>Regular thinking or quotes.</em>’</p><p>“<b>Visored/Hollow talking.</b>”</p><p>‘Katsumi mentally talking to Kana.’</p><p>‘<b>Kana talking to Katsumi.</b>’</p><p>[“Speaker announcements.”]</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[SEVEN MONTHS AGO]</b>
</p><p>“Whew,” sighed Katsumi in relief, wiping away the sweat on her brow with the back on her right hand before placing it on her hip. “I’m so glad we got through that rush hour today, Kentaro-san! Dealing with crowds are really stressful, y’know? How do you do it so easily?” she questioned, turning to her green-haired co-worker with a bright smile on her face, clasping her hands together and leaning forward teasingly. “Teach me your ways, senpai~”</p><p>“S-Senpai?” stuttered the furiously blushing male, trying to avert his eyes from the tantalizing flesh exposed by the low-necked collar of his co-worker’s uniform. “I t-think you just have to pretend you’re talking to a friend or s-someone close to you, h-haha.”</p><p>Walking over to an empty table, Katsumi started stacking numerous empty plates on each other and picking them up, somehow managing to balance the outrageous amount of porcelain and silverware on her arms without dropping any. “I think I’ll just leave the talking part to you, senpai. I’m better at hands-on work than diplomacy anyways,” the ruby-haired girl stated, walking to the kitchen and placing the dishes into the large dishwasher and walking back out of the kitchen to find more plates.</p><p>“H-Hands-on—?” questioned the daydreaming male, steam rising from his head as thoughts of his beautiful co-worker filled his brain and started spiraling into improbable scenarios.</p><p>“Hm?” Katsumi suddenly popped up in front of the green-haired teenager, clasping her hands onto his shoulders so that he couldn’t move away, moving in a way that made her…<em>assets </em>bounce and giggling at the glazed look in the male’s eyes. “Don’t tell me you’re thinking of all the <em>hands-on</em> work we could do together, Ken-tar-o~,” she breathed into his ear, relishing at the way he dropped into a dead faint. <em>‘Ah, he’s always so adorable,’</em> the girl thought in satisfaction. <em>‘I’ll do his share of the work as an apology for making him faint…again.’</em></p><p>‘<b>Pathetic,</b>’ said the voice in her head.</p><p>“And that’s thirty-one to nil in my favor, obviously,” said Katsumi, bending down and easily hefting the unconscious male over her shoulder. Standing up, she started to walk to the staff room before freezing in horror. <em>‘This reiatsu!’ </em>she thought, snapping her head in the direction she sensed it from, subconsciously tightening the hold she had on the man on her shoulder. <em>‘From that signature, it’s definitely a monster, but how strong is that damn thing that even I can sense it?’</em></p><p>Closing her eyes and concentrating, she sent out a pulse of reiatsu, using [Pesquisa] and opening her eyes in horror from what she sensed. <em>‘It doesn’t feel that strong, but all those people around it - those Heroes - are completely outclassed! It’s already taken out so many of them, but all the reinforcements I can sense are complete weaklings. Damn the Association, are they just sending out these idiots as cannon fodder?!</em></p><p>[“Emergency evacuation warning!”] sounded speakers around the city. [“Threat level: Tiger! Residents of City B, evacuate to emergency shelters immediately! Stay away from sand, [Golem] is fully capable of controlling it!”]</p><p>“Shit!” cursed Katsumi, dropping Kentaro and running to her locker, grabbing an emergency black cloak she used in these situations. Hoisting her co-worker over her shoulder again and pulling the hood over her head to disguise her features, she ran out of the shop and used a fast shunpo to bring her to the nearest emergency shelter. Setting Kentaro in a free spot, she vanished from sight, using her fastest shunpo to bring her to the threat she had sensed across the city in mere moments.</p><p>Landing on top of a building, the female surveyed the situation, taking note of the amount of unconscious Heroes that littered the rubble-covered ground and the worsening conditions of the ones that were still standing. Watching a Hero cut off the arm of the 10 feet tall sand monster, she raised a brow at the arm that rapidly reformed and the subsequent backhand it unleashed on the unlucky recipient. <em>‘Looks like most of these guys are the physical ability type. That’s a bad match up,’</em> the teen lamented. <em>‘What a shame.’</em></p><p>Jumping in with a shunpo, Katsumi snagged all twelve of the Heroes there and dumped them on a high rooftop two blocks away from the still-berserk [Golem] who was slamming his arms on cars, leaving large dents in the metal. “Which Hero are you?” questioned one of the Heroes, wincing in pain as he shakily stood up. “I don’t recognize you at all. And why did you save us?”</p><p>As she was being held back by the Hero, [Golem] thrust his sandy arms out, a giant wave of sand appearing and crashing into a large amount of buildings, the high-rises falling into the grainy wave of destruction and the debris adding to the rapidly growing mass of sand. Roaring out it triumph, [Golem] appeared to grow slightly bigger and when he punched a building it crumbled apart, a startling contrast from when he could only put dents in cars before.</p><p><em>’So he more debris he consumes, the stronger he gets, huh?’</em> reasoned Katsumi. <em>‘Better put a stop to him before he destroys this city. I don’t even want to imagine how much damage he would be capable of if he absorbed all of City B. The surrounding cities would be completely wiped out before someone like [Terrible Tornado] managed to launch him into the stratosphere or something.’</em></p><p>[“Emergency evacuation warning! The threat level has been raised from Tiger to Demon! Residents of City B, evacuate to emer-”]</p><p>The speaker nearest to them suddenly cut off, and the image of Katsumi flickered. “So damn noisy,” scoffed the teen in derision, dropping the damaged speaker with a loud crash onto the rooftop, crossing her arms as she turned around to face [Golem], preparing to shunpo to it and put an end to this nonsense. “And you guys were just in my way.”</p><p>“How- what…the speaker?”</p><p>“Just shut up and rest. Idiots like you need to learn when to take a break.” Using a shunpo to bring her in the air directly in front of [Golem], she casually backhanded the monster, vaporizing some of his body as well as sending him flying into the air and making him crash down directly into a water tank. <em>‘Right on target,’</em> thought the teen in satisfaction. <em>‘Let’s see if he still functions when he’s waterlogged. I can’t unleash my reiatsu here or everyone would die immediately, so I have to kill him some other way.’</em></p><p>Leaping out of the water tank while angrily roaring, [Golem] smashed his fist into the rooftop, sending the entire building crashing down around him. Emerging from the rubble, the half vaporized [Golem] waved his hands, directing his sand to crush the remains of the building adding it to his stockpile while his body reformed.</p><p>“Looks like water doesn’t do anything, but I’ve got you now!” yelled Katsumi, punching the monster into the air and jumping after him. <em>‘He disguised it by consuming that building, but I noticed that he only started regenerating after he came into contact with the sand. So if I separate him from the source of his power and then vaporize him…’ </em>Unleashing a flurry of kicks and punches that propelled the monster further into the air, the teen’s lip quirked when realized they weren’t having an effect on him. “So you got stronger, huh?” she asked rhetorically. “I wonder if you’ll stand up to <em>this</em>…”</p><p>Dragging a hand over her features, violet wisps of reishi appeared, forming into a ferocious bone mask that covered the lower half of her features (AN. Just imagine Tier Harribel’s hollow mask), the sharp and constantly grinning teeth coupled with the murderous pressure managing to unnerve the stunned monster, who was deeply regretting the last five minutes of his life. <em>‘What is this feeling? I feel like she’s going to consume my soul or something!’</em> thought the panicked monster. “Escape - I have to escape right now!”</p><p>“<b>Too late</b>,” chuckled Katsumi in a demonic-sounding voice that sent chills through [Golem], her gold-on-black eyes glinting with delight under her hood as she pointed at the unlucky recipient of her attack, a small ball of violet energy appearing at the tip of her index finger. “<b>Die, idiot. [Cero].</b>” The purple beam of reiatsu completely engulfed the monster and continued into the air, blasting apart the clouds that it hit before dissipating. “<b>Level: Demon, my ass</b>,” the two-toned voice grumbled out. “<b>He couldn’t even last through a basic [Cero]. Maybe I should’ve let him get stronger so I could have a better fight - wait, what am I even saying?</b>”</p><p>Dispersing her hollow mask into flecks of reishi, Katsumi slapped her own face in exasperation and tugged the hood back on to cover the top half of her features, the black sclera of her eyes reverting to white and the gold yielding to vibrant ruby. “I am not a battle junkie. I am not going to go around beating up monsters for the fun of it. Besides, anytime I want a fight, I can just have a spar with Kana in my inner world!”</p><p>‘<b>That’s what a battle junkie would say,</b>’ the voice in her head drawled out. ‘<b>You dumbass.’</b></p><p>“Don’t call me a dumbass, you bitch!” Katsumi shouted at the hollow, not noticing that she had shouted out aloud. ‘Besides, you agree, right?’ she added mentally. ‘That guy was totally lame without his sand. What a waste of time.’</p><p>‘<b>Yeah…but aren’t you forgetting something?</b>’</p><p>“Ah!” realized Katsumi, speeding over to where she last saw them. “The cannon fodder on the roof!” Landing swiftly and silently on the roof behind them, she took note of the ambulance sirens she could hear approaching and their injuries. ‘Looks like they’re all alive. That’s good.’</p><p>‘<b>Huh? You should’ve just let them die. What a waste of resources,</b>’ scoffed Kana. <b>‘The least they could do is be some good fertilizer</b>.’</p><p>‘That’s a little harsh. Go away for a bit, I can’t let you distract me while I’m talking to these cannon fodder - I mean, Heroes - or they might think I’m crazy.’ Without waiting for a reply, Katsumi cut the connection and cleared her throat, causing all of the Heroes that were conscious to jump out of their skins and whirl around. “You guys all look fine now and the ambulance is on its way, so I’ll be going now.”</p><p>“Wait!” one of them called out, stumbling over to her with his phone held out. “Some of the executives at the Hero Association wants to talk to you.”</p><p>Eyeing the phone as though it was a particularly disgusting piece of trash, the ruby-haired teen gingerly picked up the phone and held it to her right ear with a grimace twisting her cherry lips into a frown. “What’s up?”</p><p>“You are the one who defeated [Golem, Threat Level: Demon]?” questioned a male voice from the other end.</p><p>Katsumi scoffed and rolled her eyes, turning around so she didn’t have to see the Heroes staring at her. “What do you think, idiot? You’re the one that wanted to talk to me, so don’t waste my time with stupid questions. Also, you should label that guy as a [Level: Tiger] threat, because giving him a higher rating would be an insult to the rest of the monsters who are actually strong, not posers like that trash.”</p><p>“He defeated twelve Heroes and caused massive amounts of devastation!” sounded out one voice.</p><p>“Have a care for how you speak!” yelled another.</p><p>“Oh yeah, that reminds me…why the hell did you send a bunch of weaklings in as cannon fodder?” she yelled into the phone, making the executives jump in their chairs around the table from the sudden increase in volume. “Have you no shame? Send stronger Heroes out and make these newbies train more, dammit!”</p><p>“Er…all those guys are experienced Class A and B Heroes…”</p><p>“Wait, really?!” Whirling around, Katsumi saw the disgruntled expressions of the conscious Heroes and blinked in confusion as she studied their features. ”Oh yeah, I think I’ve seen some of these guys on the news before! Who knew they were this pathetic, though…”</p><p>“Most of them are quite famous Heroes,” drawled out a voice in exasperation. “Of course you should know who they are.”</p><p>“Meh, I don’t give a damn about trash,” Katsumi waved off nonchalantly, crushing the egos of the few heroes that were awake to hear her merciless remark. “Now then, what did you want to speak to me about?”</p><p>“The Association would like to make you an offer…”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[PRESENT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“Saitama-sensei, your rank has risen from 388 - the very bottom - to 342,” read out Genos as he scrolled through the rankings of the Class C Heroes on his laptop, Katsumi peering over his shoulder in boredom.</p><p>“So it went up after that fight the other day?” the bald man questioned, idly flipping a page in the newspaper he was reading. “Hmm…It’s been a week. Have you done any heroic deeds?” asked Saitama, taking a gulp of water.</p><p>“No, not yet,” answered the cyborg, scrolling to the Class S Hero ranking. “That is why I am Rank 17 - the bottom of Class S - in the ability ranking. But in the weekly popularity ranking voted on by the citizens, I am number six.”</p><p>Saitama spat out his water in shock. “WHY?!”</p><p>“‘Expect much from this genius who debuted in Class S at the young age of 19’,” recited Genos dutifully. “‘His face is gorgeous’, ‘I love the cool way he refuses all media contact’, ‘A sense of fragility under the steely expression’, ‘Among the top five best-looking Heroes.’”</p><p>“Hey Genos, someone even called you the cyborg prince,” snickered Katsumi, lightly elbowing him in the side. “Oh wait, I’m number 11 in the weekly popularity rating!”</p><p>“What for?!” cried out Saitama in shock and despair. “No one can even see your face!”</p><p>“‘Her hair is such a beautiful color’,” reads Katsumi, “‘She has legs to die for’, ‘Those boots, OMG’, ‘Her aura is so intimidating!’,” finishes Katsumi a slightly creeped out look on her face as she pushed the laptop back to Genos.</p><p>“Doesn’t it embarrass you guys to read all that?” Saitama asked.</p><p>“Those comments were based merely on my photo,” denied the blond male. “They do not really know me, so I do not mind.”</p><p>“I don’t even know how they got my photo, since I never went in for testing,” commented the female. “It’s kinda creepy how clear the resolution is…”</p><p>“If you did not go through testing, how did you promote to Class S?” asked Genos in confusion.</p><p>“Oh, I wasn’t even a Hero in the first place. Special circumstances~” winked Katsumi. “I only accepted because it would’ve been way too troublesome to refuse.”</p><p>“What! But shouldn’t that have happened with me as well then? I defeated so many monsters, how come nobody saw?!” wailed the man who became a Hero for the fun of it.</p><p>“I have never seen anyone as incredible as you, Sensei, even if the world does not know it,” proclaimed the cyborg.</p><p>“Cut the flattery. It’s disgusting.”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[LATER THAT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“Are you Genos?” asked a voice as the young cyborg walked into the City Z branch of the Hero Association, finding it completely deserted save for one person. “I am Bang. It’s a pleasure.”</p><p><em>‘Bang…is a Class S, Rank 3 Hero, also known as Silverfang,’ </em>thought Genos in admiration. <em>‘He possesses true skill.’</em></p><p>“I came because the Association called me,” he replied, turning to face the old man fully.</p><p>“Everyone in the Association has evacuated. This branch office is empty,” he explained. “Every Class S Hero got the call to come here, but you and I are only ones who showed up.”</p><p>“What about Kat- I mean, the [Flash Goddess]?” asked Genos, remembering just in time that his neighbor’s name was not publicized. “Is she not here as well?”</p><p>“You can call her Katsumi when you’re around me,” chuckled Bang at the panicked look on the young man’s face. “We’re already acquainted. And knowing her, she probably decided to deal with the issue on her own, without waiting for the rest of us ‘slowpokes’.”</p><p>“Why did the others not come?”</p><p>“I suppose this branch is too far away, or perhaps they’re busy,” clarified Bang. “Of course, some of the more cold-blooded ones simply don’t bother. Summons only go out for the biggest, most impossible tasks. This is sure to be more than we can handle. A crisis of the worst kind, [Threat Level: Dragon], is upon us.”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[ON A ROOFTOP NOT TOO FAR AWAY]</b>
</p><p>“Damn,” muttered Katsumi, angrily pacing around in circles, glancing up every once in awhile to see the meteor looming overhead and drawing closer with every minute. “[Cero] won’t do a damn thing to that hunk of rock, and I need to fully hollowfy in order to use [Cero Oscuras] and [Grand Rey Cero], in which case, everyone in this city and the surrounding ones will most definitely die when I go berserk…I can’t unleash my reiatsu to disintegrate the meteor either since it’s so close, all the people here will die as well - Kana, what do I do?!”</p><p>‘<b>Run away,</b>’ the hollow informed unhelpfully. ‘<b>We can completely clear the blast zone before the meteor hits, so start moving.</b>’</p><p>“Fuck off, you heartless bitch!” she snarled, punching a large hole in a cooling unit on the roof. “I’m not letting all these people die while I run off to save my own hide.”</p><p>‘<b>I’m just saying what you’re already thinking. After all…I am you.</b>’</p><p>“I know, Kana. I’m sorry for being a bitch. Where have you been these past few days?”</p><p>‘<b>I couldn’t be bothered talking to you.</b>’</p><p>“What kind of excuse is that?!”</p><p>[“Attention! The Hero Association has issued a warning!”] sounded out a loudspeaker as a siren started blaring. [“Emergency evacuation warning! Threat Level: Dragon! Evacuate immediately to a safe distance! T minus twenty-one minutes until meteor strikes! City Z will be completely destroyed!”]</p><p>“Let’s try to break it up into smaller chunks, okay? Maybe we can lessen the impact or something.”</p><p>‘<b>…Fine. It’s not like we won’t come back if we die anyway,</b>’ replied Kana sullenly.</p><p>Katsumi dragged her hand in a clawing motion in front of her face, closing her eyes from the rush of power as she felt the hollow mask covering her lower face. “<b>[Cero],</b>” she spoke, firing a violet beam directly at the chunk of rock, noting that only a few minuscule chunks broke off from the attack. “<b>I’ll charge up the next one more.</b>”</p><p>Gathering her reiatsu for another attack, she was interrupted by the appearance of someone jumping onto the roof she was standing on, the blonde landing in a crouch in front of her. “<b>Wha- Genos?!</b>” she shrieked, her double-toned voice sounding sinister and unnerving to the cyborg who suddenly whirled around and sprung up in shock, not knowing that there was already someone on the rooftop. <em>‘What the hell is he doing here?!’</em></p><p>“Who are you?” questioned Genos, pointing his charging up incineration cannon at the hooded figure.</p><p>“<b>It’s me, you idiot!</b>” hissed Katsumi, throwing her hood back and smacking his arm. “<b>Why are you still here? And what’s up with those different looking arms of yours, huh?</b>”</p><p>“Katsumi? Is that really you?” the blond asked nervously, unsure of what to think of her new features and the heavy, bloodthirsty aura that projected from her cloaked figure. <em>‘Her eyes…they look just like mine…’</em></p><p>“<b>Duh, I just said it was!</b>” she retorted in annoyance. “<b>All the questions can wait for later, we have a meteor to destroy.</b>”</p><p>“Right!”</p><p>Suddenly, a metal suit of armor rocketed past the duo, Katsumi hurriedly putting her hood on and dispelling her hollow mask while swearing profusely as the figure looped around and headed to the same rooftop as the two teenagers, kicking up dust as he landed.</p><p>“You are Bofoi, correct?” asked the cyborg, approaching the metal figure.</p><p>“And you are the new Hero, [Genos], as well as the mysterious [Flash Goddess],” he replied in turn. “Have you come to stop the meteor?”</p><p>“Yes. Bofoi, work together with me,” proposed Genos, knowing that he couldn’t take down the meteor on his own.</p><p>“I refuse.”</p><p>“And why is that?”</p><p>“I only answered the call to field test my new weapon,” the robotic voice mentioned carelessly. “The meteor is a perfect target.”</p><p>“You piece of shit!” snarled Katsumi, stalking forwards to stand beside Genos. “You’d willingly let all these people die if you didn’t have any new gadgets to test?”</p><p>“But if the meteor strikes, he will die too,” said Genos, holding the fuming female’s wrist so that she didn’t punch the other Hero. “He is risking his life as well.”</p><p>“No he isn’t,” laughed Katsumi bitterly, shaking Genos’ hand off her wrist. “That thing is nothing more than an empty shell, a remote-controlled drone of sorts that he can use to demolish things for his <em>research</em>,” the hooded teen spat, unable to sense any sort of reiatsu from inside the armor. “You, a hero? Like hell. Bofoi’s just <em>fake trash</em>.”</p><p>“Do not call me Bofoi,” said the robot, disregarding everything else the girl had said to him.”Call me the [Metal Knight]. Heroes address each other by their Hero names. That is common sense. But there is no more time for talk.”</p><p>“Tch,” Genos scoffed, jumping away to a higher building for an optimal position.</p><p>“I despise self-serving trash like you - all those selfish fools who don’t give a damn about lives that aren’t their own. Bofoi…the only knightly thing about you is how tragically you’ll die if I ever get my hands on you, got it?” threatened Katsumi, turning away from him. The image of her flickered and a metal arm was dumped at the robot’s feet, seemingly out of nowhere, shocking Bofoi at the easily dismantling of his suit. “I was a bit short on gauntlets, but surely a <em>knight’s </em>arm will suffice. Stay out of my way or die.”</p><p>Flickering and reappearing at Genos’ side she watched as he charged up his incineration cannons, only for them to power down when Bofoi shot the missiles into the air, obstructing his path to the meteor. “Tch. I can’t fire when he’s in the way!”</p><p>While the smoke was clearing, Katsumi brought out her hollow mask again and shunpoed to another building, a violet ball of reiatsu condensing at her fingertip, expanding slightly as she overcharged it before shrinking and wordlessly launching a brilliant purple cero at the approaching meteor, sighing in resignation the the smoke cleared and the meteor was in perfect shape. ‘[Cero] has a much higher piercing power than [Bala], but even that attack…was completely useless. Didn’t Sensei once say something about a guy she knew that could one-shot a meteor with a sword? What was his name again, Kana?’</p><p>‘<b>Kenpachi Zaraki. We could really use one of him right now</b>,’ she replied tonelessly as they watched a gigantic energy beam striking the meteor, creating shockwaves before disappearing.</p><p>“<b>Was that Genos? Oh shit, I should see if he’s okay,</b>” said the ruby-haired teen, dispersing the hollow mask as she used [Shunpo] to appear beside the cyborg’s collapsed form in the middle of a small crater, resting a reassuring hand on his shoulder as she gazed at the approaching doom.</p><p>‘<b>Don’t feel too bad when we wake up again surrounded in a pile of bodies. It’s too bad we can’t control our fully hollowfied form…</b>’ uttered Kana.</p><p>‘Yea- wait this reiatsu—!’</p><p>“You guys, take care of Genos for me.”</p><p>“Wh-Who are you?” Bang stuttered in shock.</p><p>“I’m just a guy who’s a Hero for the fun of it,” the caped man said casually, propelling himself towards the meteor, the force of his jump cratering the entire rooftop. The three Heroes stared after his caped form, watching in amazement as his fist impacted the rock, then broke through, completely shattering the gargantuas meteorite with a single punch.</p><p>“Amazing…he wasn’t even trying…” uttered the ruby-haired girl.</p><p>“He broke it!” Bang exclaimed. “Unbelievable! But…”</p><p>The shockwave generated from the meteorite shattering sent countless fragments of rubble rocketing towards the ground, exploding parts of the city as they slammed into buildings without hesitation, causing chaos throughout the entire city. The rooftop they were standing on started to tilt precariously as the building beneath them collapsed, unable to withstand the onslaught, and Katsumi tucked Bang and Genos under her left and right arms respectively before leaping high into the air to clear the falling rubble.</p><p>“Hold on guys, this is going to get really rough!”she shouted, spreading her reiatsu in a protective embrace around them before rapidly [Shunpo]ing towards the chunks of debris from the meteor that were still in the air, shattering each one into (mostly) harmless pebbles with a barrage of kicks in a mere handful of seconds. Landing on the rooftop of a building that was still - miraculously - standing, Katsumi gently set down her passengers on the floor waited for their brains to catch up with their bodies, grateful that she had remembered to shield their bodies with her reiatsu, unsure whether they could take the G’s from the speed she had gone at.</p><p>“Ugh, my head,” groaned Bang, closing his eyes from the dizzying rush of blood. “What hit me?”</p><p>“Sorry, old man, but I had to go faster than I normally would’ve with passengers if I wanted to stop the rest of the meteor shower and minimize damage to the city,” Katsumi said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head before eyeing Genos’ slightly twitching form in concern. Crouching down next to him, she placed her hands on his cheeks, tenderly raising his head and staring into what she assumed was unfocused eyes. “You alright, gorgeous?”</p><p>“What…happened?”</p><p>“Ah, I had to destroy the debris from the meteor, but I didn’t want to leave you guys on the street or something, so I took you along for the ride. Guess you guy aren’t used to traveling at the speeds I am, haha!” she laughed nervously before taking another glance at his form. “And where did your hoodie go?”</p><p>“He ripped it off,” said Bang, eyes twinkling as he watched the interaction between the two teenagers as he slowly got to his feet. <em>‘These youngsters…’</em></p><p>“Oh, how steamy~,” purred the female, licking her lips as she leaned closer. “Wanna rip mine off too~?”</p><p>“K-Katsumi!”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[THREE DAYS LATER]</b>
</p><p>‘<b>I can’t believe that shitty meteor had the nerve to destroy our favorite supermarket,</b>’ grumbled Kana as Katsumi picked up a punnet of strawberries and placed it into her basket, pouting slightly at the price. ‘<b>Should’ve [Grand Rey Cero]ed the bastard when we had the chance.</b>’</p><p>‘Yeah…but then there would be no staff to operate this supermarket, y’know?’ sweatdropped Katsumi as she listened to Kana complaining about ‘lower quality produce’. ‘Plus, we might’ve accidentally destroyed it with a [Cero] anyway.’</p><p>‘<b>…That Saitama guy could probably take us out if he tried,</b>’ acknowledged Kana begrudgingly. ‘<b>But if we used [Gonzui]…</b>’</p><p>“Don’t even joke about that!” snapped Katsumi aloud, startling the customers around her who took one glance at her furious face and wisely turned away, keeping their thoughts to themselves. ‘I’m never going to use a technique like that, even if it kills me!’</p><p>(AN. I’m not putting [Gonzui] into Katsumi’s skills because I plan to never use it in this fic. I just feel like it’s kinda overpowered for such a low level technique, y’know?)</p><p>‘<b>Killing is killing, what’s the difference?</b>’ Kana asked boredly, slightly annoyed by her counterpart’s naivety. ‘<b>Ooh, get some of those onions, they’re pretty cheap.</b>’</p><p>‘It seems wrong. And disgusting,’ mentally replied the teen as she placed a few onions into her basket and walked to the cashier, unloading her groceries on the conveyor belt. ‘I can deal with ripping someone’s head off with my teeth, but eating their soul is a hard limit, even for someone like me. Can we just talk about something else?’</p><p>Smiling at the cashier as she paid for and grabbed her groceries, Katsumi grabbed her bags and flounced out, humming underneath her breath as she waited for a reply.</p><p>‘<b>Fine, but don’t expect me to drop this forever,</b>’ threatened the inner hollow before switching topics. ’<b>How about our new ranking? Why haven’t you check it yet, idiot?!</b>’</p><p>‘You actually care about that stuff?!’ inwardly exclaimed the eighteen-year old, tripping over her feet in shock and stumbling for a moment before catching herself on a wall. ‘I thought you told me ‘Like I give a shit about what those fucking sheep think about our brilliance,’ or something equally as egotistical.’</p><p>‘<b>But being so far behind that green midget pisses me off, dammit!</b>’ growled Kana, angrily pacing in their inner world. ‘<b>That damn brat is so irritating!</b>’</p><p>“Hmm…” murmured the ruby-haired teen as she fished out her phone from the pocket of her hoodie and turned it on, searching for the Class S rankings. “Let’s see…[Flash Goddess: Class S, Rank 12] - that’s alright really, especially when we hardly contributed at all. But I feel kinda bad for moving [Watchdog Man] down - he’s so cute!”</p><p>‘<b>Who cares? We’re one step closer to that obnoxious dwarf; soon we’ll overtake her and step all over her wounded ego</b>!’ cackled the hollow wildly.</p><p>“Don’t laugh so creepily like that, you sadist - wait, what’s that noise?” asked Katsumi in confusion, cocking her head to the side as she strained her ears. Filtering out the unnecessary noise, the teen focused on the shouting she could hear in the distance, unable to make out the distinct words, but hearing the unmistakeable signs of a furious mob. “Angry civilians…let’s see what’s going on.”</p><p>(AN. I’m going to be using [Flash Step] instead of [Shunpo] from now on, because it’s honestly just easier to write in sentences, sorry~)</p><p>Taking less than a dozen Flash Steps, the grocery-laden girl landed on the rooftop of a building overlooking the screaming mob, her eyes growing colder as she took in the situation; Saitama was standing in the middle of some rubble while raging civilians surrounded him on all sides, shouting at him to ‘Give it up!’ and voicing their discontent. And she knew who the instigators were - sure, they would normally be utterly forgettable, but she had run into the overcompensating Tank-Top followers before - a couple of muscle-headed, talentless <em>fakes</em> who played around at being a Hero for attention, but generally didn’t care about helping people unless it profited themselves in some way. How <em>annoying.</em></p><p>Even as she watched, Tank-Top no.1 approached the caped man, spouting some garbage and Katsumi prepared to step in, before sensing Genos’ familiar reiatsu approaching at a rapid pace. <em>‘On second thoughts, nevermind! Saitama’s really strong - he definitely doesn’t need me to step in for him,’</em> she inwardly reasoned, stepping back from the edge of the rooftop just in case the cyborg happened to look up.</p><p>‘<b>You’re so full of shit. How long are you gonna avoid Gorgeous for, weakling?</b>’ retorted Kana, disapproving. ‘<b>Are you ashamed of me?</b>’</p><p>‘NO! I…I just don’t want to see that <em>look</em> in his eyes when he sees me. Even Yoruichi-sensei seemed panicked when she found out about you…what if he hates me?’ asked the teen, hugging her arms around herself protectively.</p><p>‘<b>Katsumi…</b>’</p><p>“If you’re a Hero, then fight us like a man!” The loud shout interrupted Katsumi’s self-pitying session and she looked down to see both Tank-Top idiots approaching her neighbor, who mostly looked bored at the confrontation.</p><p>“Tank-Top Tiger, who fights like a true tiger…” started off the striped one, “…and Tank-Tops Black Hole, who has a crushing 200 kilogram grip!” finished the other, both making weird poses as they introduced themselves. “We will punish all who stray from the path of a Hero! Now prepare for pain!” Stripey Tank-Top charged toward Saitama with a yell, before getting casually smacked away with insulting ease and painfully landing in a pile of rubble.</p><p>The other Tank-Top angrily charged at the caped man with both arms outstretched, but a red glove enclosed his right hand, squeezing down until crunching noises were heard and the man fell to his knees in agony. “Ow, I g-give up! You’re crushing my hand!”</p><p>“Wait, really? You’re kidding, right?” Saitama asked with a sweatdrop, astonished by how weak this Hero was.</p><p>“Please let go - I give up, I’m sorry!” wailed the Hero, tears streaming down his face. “I’m so sorry for lying about you!”</p><p>“Nope. You weren’t lying. I’m the one who smashed that meteor!” the caped man yelled at the mob. “Anyone with a complaint, let’s hear it! Speak up!”</p><p>“…Because of what you did, my brand new car was—”</p><p>“You shut your damned mouth!” interrupted Saitama. “Why would I care about how you’re put out? Tell it to the meteor, not me, jackass! Listen up! I’m not a Hero because I want your approval! I do it because I want to, got it?! If you wanna hate me, then hate me, you baldies!! But I did the right thing. Any more complaints? I’ll talk back though!!”</p><p>“…”</p><p>“But you’re the one that’s bald…” murmured someone from the crowd.</p><p>“What did you just say?!”</p><p>As soon as Genos started approaching the bald man, Katsumi ducked, peeking over the ledge of the rooftop and waited for the duo to leave. When their reiatsus were far away enough, she tugged her hood on to conceal her face and Flash Stepped into the spot Saitama had just left - still holding her bags of groceries - landing loudly so that the crowd would realize she was there.</p><p>“Who’s that?”</p><p>“See that hair? It’s totally the [Flash Goddess]!”</p><p>“What’s with the shopping bags though…”</p><p>“It’s definitely her - look at her shoes!”</p><p>“Hey,” said Katsumi, her cold voice cutting through their murmuring voices easily and making them all focus on her. “You’re all happy to be alive…aren’t you?”</p><p>“Well, duh!”</p><p>“What’s she going on about?”</p><p>“Because the way I see it, if it weren’t for that Hero you guys just condemned…all of you idiots would be wiped from existence, along with City Z and our neighboring cities.” A slight pressure in the air was pressing down on the crowd, silencing their protests and making their knees shake under the strain. “So your new car was smashed, your house obliterated, whatever. The point is: who cares? You’re still alive, right? So stop whining like a bunch of ungrateful brats and get on with your lives.”</p><p>Glaring balefully at the uneasy crowd, she then fixed her murderous gaze at the sobbing man on the floor and walked toward him, her reiatsu starting to flare along with her renewed anger. Pinning his injured hand with the heel of her boot - stopping just short of breaking it - she watched sadistically as he yelled and struggled to no avail, trembling under the force of her (very) mild reiatsu.</p><p>“The next time I see you insulting my friends like that, I’ll break every single bone in your body. Got it, trash?” Appeased at his frantic nods, Katsumi clicked her tongue at the pathetic ‘Hero’ and Flash Stepped away, idly wondering at what she should have for dinner.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Kana basically looks like Katsumi with white skin and hair and gold irises with black sclera and a hollow hole between her collarbones like Ulquiorra.</p><p>So, if you’re confused about Katsumi’s shitty sensing, it’s because basically everyone feels like civilians to her senses (but with different wavelengths so she can tell them apart [ie. this person’s reiatsu feels warm, while that person’s is cold]), except for the really strong Heroes who are easily distinguishable. But she can easily tell when a monster appears because their reiatsu feels completely different - like a shinigami compared to a hollow.</p><p>Hope you enjoyed, don’t forget to leave kudos and a comment~!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. TSUNAMI</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Katsumi vs the Deep Sea King!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything in this fic except for Katsumi</p><p>Okay, I gave the Deep Sea King some better regeneration, and made Saitama a little later so that we could actually have a real fight, so no flames plz.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Regular talking.”</p><p>‘<em>Regular thinking or quotes.</em>’</p><p>
  <em>"Background chatter."</em>
</p><p>“<b>Visored/Hollow talking.</b>”</p><p>‘Katsumi mentally talking to Kana.’</p><p>‘<b>Kana talking to Katsumi.</b>’</p><p>[“Speaker announcements.”]</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[THREE DAYS AGO]</b>
</p><p>“I could swear that I’ve forgotten something,” murmured the ruby-haired teen, tapping her bottom lip thoughtfully as she skillfully dodged around a monster’s limb and nonchalantly sidestepped the follow up kick from the webbed foot. “Do you remember what it was, Kana?”</p><p>‘<b>I’m-</b>’</p><p>“Pesky human!” sneered the purple fish monster - it had legs though? - as it lashed a spiked fin at the stationary hooded Hero to the horror of her watching fans. “We are messengers from the deep sea! Surrender the Earth to the Clan of the Seafolk! Then you will have the mercy of being our food!”</p><p>Blocking the deadly spike with the tip of her finger, the girl shifted her gaze to the fish monster’s face, watching through irritated eyes as he trembled in shock and took an uncertain step back, stammering out denials. “W-What- but how did you- h-how are you-”</p><p>“Can’t you see I’m talking here?” questioned the girl in a deadly tone as she took a step forward, prompting the monster to all but stumble away from the irate female. “You damn pest, learn some manners!”</p><p>The top and bottom halves of the fish monster separated as they thumped on the ground, flinging blue blood, organs and monster remains across the entirety of the street and onto quite a few fans, not that they seemed to mind, given how they began to cheer.</p><p>
  <em>“Wow, so amazing!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“I couldn’t even see her move!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Obviously not! This is </em>
  <em>the</em>
  <em> Flash Goddess we’re talking about here!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We didn’t even get to feel her Holy Aura though! Shows how weak that monster was!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Holy Aura? What’s that?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Oh man, you don’t know? When the Goddess gets mad, she unleashes her Aura and wipes the evil monsters off the surface of the Earth! I’ve felt it before - it’s like a giant weight pressing your entire body into the ground! That was how she got the name [Flash Goddess], her unparalleled speed and absolute might that crushes the unworthy at her feet! So badass!”</em>
</p><p>Katsumi sweatdropped at the last comment and facepalmed in embarrassment, not noticing or caring about the blue blood that she smeared all over her features as she lamented the idiocy of civilians. ‘Holy Aura’? Seriously? That was just her reiatsu acting up whenever she lost control of that little bit she had access to! And the absolute irony that landed her with the same moniker as her sensei…if that demonic woman ever found out, she’d never hear the end of it!</p><p>‘<b>At least it’s not as bad of a mess up than the [King Engine],</b>’ snickered Kana. ‘<b>I can’t tell if he’s been cursed or if his luck stat is naturally that low!</b>’</p><p>‘I know right? Ah, but I can’t tell if his luck is E or EX with how every seems to work out for him!’ mentally replied Katsumi, a sympathetic smile on her face as she started walking away from her crowd of adoring fans. ‘Can you imagine how shitty someone’s life would be if they had an E ranking luck stat though? How depressing.’</p><p>(Somewhere in the multiverse, a blue-haired Lancer and a white-haired Archer sneezed simultaneously, briefly pausing their fight to look at each other incredulously before clashingtheir weapons together in a shower of sparks.)</p><p>“Please wait, Flash Goddess!” yelled a female voice from behind her, the uneven thumping of feet announcing the new arrival. The hooded teen turned around, and eyed the approaching woman and crowd with trepidation, not used to conversing with others in her Hero persona; she always left before any fans - or, even worse, <em>reporters</em> -could talk to her.</p><p>“Hey, how are you going?” Katsumi greeted easily, leaving her fans blinking in surprise at her casual attitude and tone.</p><p>“Um, I-I’m pretty g-good, what about y-you?” stuttered the female, completely awestruck by the Class S Hero she was talking to. <em>‘I can’t believe this! I’m the first fan to have a conversation with this super mysterious heroine!</em></p><p>“I’m great. So…what did you need, Miss?” asked the ruby-haired teen, a bit uneasy at the crowd that surrounded her in a rough semicircle. She hoped the woman would just state her business already so that she could go home, but looking at the crowd around her, she figured that she would probably be here for awhile. <em>‘Should’ve left faster - I’m so dumb!’</em></p><p>“I just wanted to thank you for your services and let you know that I’m a huge fan! Can I shake your hand?” squealed the woman in barely-contained glee.</p><p>Katsumi raised her right hand and realized it was completely covered in blue blood - blood that covered her entire arm and probably half of her body. She was definitely going to throw this outfit in the trash when she got home, as it was practically impossible to get out without vigorous scrubbing and maybe bleach. With a quick glance, she confirmed that none of that nasty shit had got on her boots though, thank god for small mercies. “Heh, I definitely would, but I’m kinda covered in blood so…”</p><p>“That’s totally fine!” disregarded the ecstatic female, grabbing her hand and shaking it with a silly grin on her face. “Can I get an autograph as well?” she asked whipping out a pen and poster from…where did she get that from? Did she have the same mysterious hammerspace that Genos kept his notebook in?</p><p>‘<b>Wish we had one of those,</b>’ grumbled Kana.</p><p>‘Ditto. What was I forgetting, again?’</p><p>‘<b>Hell if I know.</b>’</p><p>“Sure,” shrugged Katsumi easily, grabbing the pen and signing her name with a flourish on the poster of herself. “Huh, I never even knew I had merchandise.”</p><p>“Really? You’re nothing like how I imagined you, Goddess!” said the female as she took her pen and poster back while whipping out a small recorder from her mythical hammerspace and immediately turning it on. “Would you be willing to answer a few of my questions?”</p><p>“Ah, a reporter?!” the ruby eyed teenager exclaimed in shock, taking a small step back. “I-I’m sorry, but I have to go now!”</p><p>“Just one question!” pleaded the reporter.</p><p>Katsumi went to refuse, but she saw actual <em>tears</em> welling in the woman’s eyes and relented with a small sigh, making the crowd quiet down so they could hear as well. “Ugh, just one…”</p><p>“Thank you so much!” the reporter squealed in joy, clearing her throat and holding the recorder directly in front of her so that it wouldn’t miss anything. “An eyewitness reports that they saw Amai Mask speaking to a female matching your physical description in a restaurant around two weeks ago - unfortunately there are no photos - but was it you?”</p><p>“Hmm…” said Katsumi, thinking back to her last meeting with the idol and trying to remember any of the details. <em>‘Oh, when I beat Saitama and Genos at the udon challenge!’ </em>she thought, mentally smirking at her overwhelming triumph. “Er…yes, that was actually me. Was that all you wanted to ask?”</p><p>“Was it a good date?”</p><p>“HUH?! No no no, you have it all wrong,” she denied, frantically shaking her head. “He was actually talking to a friend of mine and I happened to be there as well! And we’re definitely not dating each other! It was nice talking to you, but I really have to go now. Stay safe, everyone!”</p><p>“Thank you for saving us!” called out someone from the crowd.</p><p>
  <em>“Yeah, thanks so much, Flash Goddess!”</em>
</p><p>“You don’t have to thank me,” Katsumi said, turning away. “I would’ve done the same thing, Hero or not. After all, if we have the power to make this world a better place, shouldn’t we at least try?”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[PRESENT DAY]</b>
</p><p>The ruby-haired girl sighed as she flicked through the channels on her flatscreen TV, taking a look through her window and at the overcast sky above. A news report caught her attention and she turned her gaze back to the screen, frowning slightly at what she heard.</p><p>[“The creatures appearing in City J claim to be from the Clan of the Seafolk. They attack anyone they see. A Hero is attempting to prevent their advance but he may be at his limit. He looks exhausted. [Threat Level: Tiger]! Citizens, stay away!”]</p><p>“Clan of the Seafolk?” she mused aloud. “Isn’t that what the fish guy was blabbing about a few days ago when we were in City I? And I could’ve sworn that Genos mentioned something about it when I went over to their apartment for dinner yesterday…”</p><p>‘<b>Don’t ask me. I don’t listen to trash,</b>’ sneered Kana in a snide tone. ‘<b>If that Hero has trouble with a measly seafood platter, then he’s trash too!</b>’</p><p>“It’s ‘Seafolk’, not ‘seafood’. But the Association hasn’t given me a call, so they’re probably calling for back-up closer to City J,” reasoned Katsumi as she eyed her phone as it rested innocently on the arm of her couch. Sensing the reiatsu of her neighbors exiting their apartment at a decent pace, she furrowed her brow in confusion as she grabbed the remote and switched the TV off. “What the hell are they going out in this shitty weather for?”</p><p>‘<b>A last minute sale, probably,</b>’ snickered the inner hollow, amused by the antics of duo. ‘<b>Isn’t Gorgeous just as rich as we are- what the fuck was that?!</b>’</p><p>Shooting upright on the couch, the teen stilled and closed her eyes, trying her best to pinpoint the location of the <em>enormous</em> surge of reiatsu, but not sensing anything within her range. ‘I can’t feel anything anymore! But you felt it too, right?’</p><p>‘<b>Yeah…those reiatsu signatures definitely belong to monsters. Extremely strong ones as well.</b>’</p><p>“How come I can’t feel anymore?” groaned Katsumi, grabbing fistfuls of her long hair in frustration and tugging on them slightly. “It’s like they all teleported away…<em>or something is shielding their presence from me.</em>”</p><p>‘<b>Use Pesquisa. This is big. Such a large group of monsters this close to us, even temporarily, could be dangerous.</b>’</p><p>Using Pesquisa, the ruby-haired teen spread her senses as far as they could go, but was unable to sense even one monster in her vicinity, causing her to frown and glance out of the window in frustration. “Someone’s definitely covering something up around here. This city is fishy as hell…ugh, this entire situation is giving me a headache. I’ll just rest for a couple minutes on the couch and wait for Genos and Saitama to come back from their shopping trip so I can tell them.”</p><p>Curling up on the spacious cushions, Katsumi yawned and closed her eyes, letting the rhythmic ticking of the clock lull her to sleep.</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[A COUPLE HOURS LATER]</b>
</p><p>She was startled awake by the ringing of her phone, the shrill sound cutting through her foggy state and causing her to blearily rub her eyes and snag her phone from her couch, bringing it to her ear as she answered the call, not bothering to look at the caller ID. “Who is this?” the teen asked sleepily as she yawned and slowly got up from the couch.</p><p>“Thank God, a Class S Hero finally picked up!” shouted someone from the other end of the line, prompting a few others to cheer as well. “This is the Hero Association. Flash Goddess, are you able to make it to City J in a timely manner?”</p><p>“City J?” she asked, immediately snapping to attention, using Flash Step to rush around her apartment and put on her Hero costume - which consisted of a sleeveless black turtleneck, black tights, an oversized (black) cloak and her trusty platforms (also black). “Update me on the situation.”</p><p>“Uh, yes. The Threat Level has been raised from Tiger to Demon,” answered the operator as Katsumi jumped off her balcony, landing on a reishi platform in the air and Flash Stepping in the general direction of City J. “It was last reported to have taken down two Class A and one Class S Hero.”</p><p>“Three already?” questioned Katsumi, thinking of Genos and Saitama rushing out their apartment earlier that day. <em>‘Idiot! Why didn’t I make sure they weren’t doing anything reckless?’</em> she berated herself as she Flash Stepped through the air, too fast for the average eye to see. “Which ones? Why didn’t you call me sooner?”</p><p>“Stinger, Lightning Max and Puri-Puri Prisoner have all been defeated. And we already sent one Class S Hero to deal with the situation, but we haven’t received any word of his condition yet…”</p><p>“Genos,” she breathed out, increasing the speed of her Flash Steps and creating half a dozen sonic booms in her wake. “Anything else I need to know?”</p><p>“We are unsure if there are any Heroes below Class A in the area, but before the Threat Level was raised, Mumen Rider was heading in to help,” stated the operator, causing the teen to grit her teeth and increase her speed yet again. “Are you able to make it in time?”</p><p>“I’m already on my way.”</p><p>——————————————</p><p>Speeding through the air above City J, the teen spread her senses as far as she could go, feeling for any kind of reiatsu in the vicinity, but not skilled enough to be able to use Pesquisa without slowing down and concentrating, which she adamantly refused to do. Feeling a strong monster reiatsu pinging the edge of her range, she made a beeline towards it, alarmed at how close it was to a large mass of weak and undoubtedly human signatures - was it breaking into an evacuation shelter? She needed to hurry!</p><p>From her position in the air, her sharp eyes were able to pick up the form of the heavily bleeding Class C Hero and the green, hulking figure that completely dwarfed him. As Mumen Rider was casually punched away by the gloating monster, Katsumi adjusted her trajectory towards the Hero and firmly wrapped her arms around his battered form, pulling off a tricky maneuver mid-air so that she didn’t accidentally splatter the fragile human with the speed she was going at. Holding the Hero in a protective embrace, she eyed his pummeled form in worry; she was unsure of his survival rate with how low his reiatsu was, indicating heavy internal bleeding and a possible concussion. <em>‘Let’s wrap this up quickly so he can get to the hospital.’</em></p><p>
  <em>“It’s the Flash Goddess!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Another Class S Hero!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We’re saved! Finally!”</em>
</p><p>“Another party crasher?” growled the crowned figure in irritation as the rain picked up, the moderate rainfall turning into more of a torrential downpour. “What a pain.”</p><p>“What’s it to you, you sashimi-looking motherfucker—?” As the cloaked teen turned to face the monster, her ruby eyes zeroed into the sight of Genos lying on the ground, smoke emitting from his slightly twitching body and a panicked look on his damaged face as he caught sight of her arrival, not seeing the approaching monster due to her rapid tunnel vision. “W-What— were you the one who did that to Genos…?”</p><p>“Haha, that idiot jumped in front of an attack and used his body to shield a little brat,” he chortled, swiping a clawed hand into the still figure, crimson blood spurting from open wounds and arcing in the air, causing the spectators to rapidly lose hope. “So pathetic! Not that anything has the chance to stand against me, the Deep Sea King!” crowed the monster, turning back to the defeated cyborg. “Now, to properly kill you without anymore interferences…what?! A speed clone?!”</p><p>Katsumi was crouching in front of the blond cyborg with Mumen Rider’s unconscious body on the ground by her side, bending over Genos’ head slightly to shield him from the relentless deluge of water and tilting his chin upwards with trembling fingers. “…Are you in pain?” she asked in a tight voice as she looked him over. Both of his arms were gone, half of his face was cracked, and his entire back half looked like it had been melted by some kind of acid, exposing occasionally-sparking circuitry and internal components. <em>‘Better cover that so the rain doesn’t mess it up even more.’</em></p><p>“I’m fine, but you must leave!” he rasped in a staticky voice, slightly unnerved by the dangerous shine in her eyes and the shadows that covered her face, but more concerned for her overall safety. “He has accelerated healing and appears to get stronger in water!”</p><p>“You there! Are you another soldier that has come to stop me in the name of justice?” asked the Deep Sea King, fixing his annoyed glare on the intruder, temper spiking from the constant interruptions and weak, meddling pests.</p><p>Genos’ breath caught as he saw black flames creeping across raging eyes, turning white sclera to black and ruby irises to a terrifyingly malicious shade of gold that seemed to burn in their fury. He felt a heavy cloak settling over the ruins of his body and blinked, seeing Katsumi standing in front of him in her all black attire as she face off with the Deep Sea King, ruby hair whipping about in the strong winds, the rainfall turning it into a darker shade and rivulets of water running down her exposed arms.</p><p>
  <em>“Oh my God, I can see her face!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“She took off her cloak?! No way!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“She’s so pretty!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Picture! OMG I need a picture!”</em>
</p><p>“‘In the name of justice’?” snarled Katsumi in a low tone, clenching her fists so tightly that her knuckles went bone-white and cracking sounds came from her hands, her reiatsu flaring in a visible violet haze from her body despite her best efforts holding it back. It pressed down on everyone within a one mile radius and caused surrounding buildings to shake from its pressure as a skeletal mask formed on her lower face, the violent hollow reiatsu forcing spectators to shake on the ground in terror. “<b>What the fuck does that even mean?! I’m just gonna rip you to pieces in the most violent way possible!</b>”</p><p>Appearing mid-air in front of the momentarily frozen monster in a flicker with an accompanying static noise, heralding the use of Sonido, the enraged female whipped her arms out and dug her hands into heavily muscled biceps, fingers clawing through hardened flesh as though it was butter. Planting her boots into the wide chest, Katsumi tightened her grip and kicked off with a massive shockwave, sending the Deep Sea King flying through a swathe of buildings as well as tearing his large arms from their sockets in a massive shower of blue blood that splattered across her entire body, with the majority landing on the rain-slick ground. Backflipping through the air in a graceful arc, she landed back in front of Genos and Mumen Rider, letting the severed limbs fall to the ground with a wet <em>splat</em>.</p><p>“<b>Messing up Genos this badly, you piece of shit…that’s unforgivable. I wonder…will your head grow back when rip it off?</b>” Katsumi questioned with a deranged smile on her face - not that anyone could see - her double-toned voice echoing in an eerie manner and sending chills down her backs of her audience, keeping her bloodthirsty, inhuman gaze fixed on the rapidly approaching Deep Sea King.</p><p>“DAMN HUMAN!” roared the monster, charging towards the Hero with a ferocious snarl on his animalistic face, stomping down on her stationary frame without mercy even as his arms rapidly regenerated. “LEARN YOUR PLACE, FOOL!”</p><p>Katsumi’s pupils dilated in sadistic glee as she blocked his clawed foot with her forearm, the ground cratering below her feet from the impact even as a Cero formed in front of her other hand. “<b>I think I’m in the mood for some grilled fish today! Cero!</b>” The subsequent blast of concentrated reiatsu completely vaporized one of the Deep Sea King’s legs, and sent a violet beam lancing through the air, cutting a line through the heavy rainclouds.</p><p><em>“Seems the Flash Goddess is really angry today,” </em>whimpered someone on the floor, shaking from her murderous reiatsu.</p><p>
  <em>“This fight is fucking vicious, man! Amazing!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“She’s completely destroying that guy…I’m filming this!”</em>
</p><p>The monster was only spared from the deadly beam by his reflexes, leaning the rest of his body back and sacrificing his leg so that he could escape without further injury, stumbling away from the Hero so that the rain could regenerate his missing leg. Katsumi used a quick Bala to knock him off his feet and crouched down by Mumen Rider’s side, alarmed by his fading reiatsu.</p><p>She was trying her best to push all of her murderous thoughts to the back of her mind, more concerned with the dying Hero than the one sided massacre of the fish guy. Checking his pulse with two fingers on the side of his neck, she immediately tore off his front plating of body armor and began CPR compressions when she didn’t feel his heartbeat. “<b>Hah, shit…don’t you dare die on me…hurry up, you damn baldy…</b>”</p><p>“HAHA, SO YOU CAN’T ATTACK ME WITHOUT LETTING THAT WEAKLING DIE!” yelled the Deep Sea King in a cocky manner as he stood up shakily, reassured of his victory now that his terrifying opponent was occupied and his body was back in its prime condition. “BUT YOU MANAGED TO IMPRESS ME MUCH MORE THAN THOSE TRASH, SO I’LL GRANT YOU THE MERCY OF A SWIFT DEATH!”</p><p>“Oh hey, guys,” greeted Saitama as he stood between the seething monster and the three Heroes in the middle of a small crater. “I was pretty lost, so it’s a good thing that bright light basically pointed me to this spot, am I right?” He took a second glance at them and seemed to register their less than pristine forms, worry appearing on his bland face. “H-Hey, are you guys still alive?!”</p><p>“<b>If I stop the compressions, this guy definitely won’t be,</b>” growled Katsumi, letting her hollow mask dissolve into reishi particles as she gently tipped the Hero’s head back and pinched his nose, breathing two breaths that inflated his lungs before going back to compressions. “Deal with the fish guy already!”</p><p>“…Sensei…” muttered the blonde in relief, eyeing the ruby-haired girl in slight surprise. <em>‘Did she fire that attack into the air to call Sensei to our position so that she could help Mumen Rider, or was it just a lucky accident?’</em></p><p>“Wait a second…” said the caped man as he surveyed the damage they had received, as well as the beaten form of Mumen Rider, a deep shadow appearing across his features. “I’m gonna go kill this sea-freak.”</p><p>Katsumi tuned out the rest of the conversation and smiled in relief as Mumen Rider took a gasp of air, turning on his side to heave out an alarming amount of blood on the floor before collapsing on his back and shuddering lightly - in pain or shock, Katsumi didn’t know.</p><p>“Hey,” she whispered, leaning close to his ear so that no one other than Genos could overhear their conversation. “You have massive amounts of internal bleeding, and I just managed to get your heart beating again. You will most likely die if you don’t make it to the hospital within the next five minutes, but even then, it’s a not a guarantee that you’ll make it out of that operating theatre. I have the ability to heal people, but I would prefer not to do it without your consent. Will you allow me to heal you?”</p><p><em>‘She can heal people?’ </em>thought the incredulous cyborg, focusing half of his attention between the conversing Heroes next to him and the other on the showdown between the Deep Sea King and his sensei. <em>‘What a useful ability.’</em></p><p>“Ah…if I’m gonna die anyway, why not,” slurred Mumen Rider, a trail of blood dripping onto the floor and being washed away by the heavy rain.</p><p>“You aren’t gonna die today. We’re here to save you,” Katsumi murmured, forcefully deactivating her Hierro and digging sharp canines into the flesh of her palm, watching as crimson blood pooled in the palm of her hand and the two puncture marks immediately began to close. Infusing the blood with some hollow reiatsu, she tilted her hand so that the blood dripped into the Hero’s mouth. “Bottoms up.”</p><p>(AN. Imagine that it’s a bit like Karin’s Chakra Bite technique, but not really. I’ll explain later.)</p><p>The rain around them was blown away by a large shockwave and the ruby-haired teen smirked as she heard the <em>thump</em> the Deep Sea King’s body made as it hit the floor. She stood up beside the two forms in the crater, watching with a content smile as Mumen Rider’s body regenerated to a perfect condition, the rain beginning to fall again.</p><p>“Just lay there and pretend to be injured, ‘kay Mumen Rider? It’s important that you eat a ton of protein in the next couple of days, or that healing will backfire. I’d appreciate if you kept this a secret between the three of us~. Genos, you still good? Tell me where Dr Kuseno’s lab is so I can take you there to get patched up,” sternly ordered the female before twitching violently as shouts of joy came from the evacuation center. <em>‘I totally forgot about those civilians.’</em></p><p>‘<b>You mispronounced ‘annoying trash’.</b>’ snarked Kana, earning a chuckle from her ruby-haired counterpart.</p><p>
  <em>“He beat the monster with one blow!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“In one punch! One punch!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“We’re saved!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“That guy’s in Class C?!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He must be super strong!!”</em>
</p><p>“Maybe that monster wasn’t very strong after all…” drawled a male voice, cutting through the cheering and making all the spectators fall into an uneasy silence.</p><p>
  <em>“But it beat all those Heroes before Flash Goddess showed up…”</em>
</p><p>‘<b>There were more Heroes here?</b>’ asked the hollow, question marks appearing above both Kana and Katsumi’s heads as the ruby-haired teen whipped her head around in confusion before spying their collapsed forms in the shelter. ‘<b>They must have tried to hide in the evacuation shelter and got beaten up when the monster came.</b>’</p><p>“Maybe those Heroes were wimps!” snickered the male. “That Class C Hero beat it with one punch! Haha, those Heroes who lost must really stink! They claim to be Class A and Class S, but there’s nothing to them!”</p><p>“Hey stop it. They risked their lives for us,” scolded someone within the crowd.</p><p>“Anyone can risk their life! But you can’t be a Hero without beating monsters!” the smug bystander rebutted. “A lot of Heroes were seriously injured this time, and Mumen Rider almost died! Can we really rely on them next time? It worked out in the end…but it’s embarrassing when wimpy Heroes show up, so I wish they’d just stop. They call themselves Heroes, so they have to actually help us!”</p><p>“Hey!” shouted an angry person, picking the male up by the front of his shirt. “What’s your problem?!”</p><p>“Why’re you getting angry at me? Our money is what funds the Hero Association! They ought to do a better job! That bald guy solved this, when the Flash Goddess couldn’t even finish the job! The others just died needlessly!”</p><p>‘<b>Baldy looks like he gonna do something dumb</b>,’ warned Kana.</p><p>“It’s so noisy…I’m getting a migraine listening to these dumbasses…” murmured Katsumi, massaging her temples to relieve the ache.</p><p>
  <em>“I said stop it!”</em>
</p><p>“Anyone could buy some time! The other Heroes didn’t do a thing!”</p><p>
  <em>“But—”</em>
</p><p>“CAN EVERYONE JUST SHUT THE HELL UP FOR A FEW SECONDS?!” yelled Katsumi, relishing the sudden silence that occurred immediately after. “You sheep are so damn loud all the time - this is why I never stick around for fans…Listen up! You there, bowl-cut guy!” she said, pointing at the mouthy asshole as she stalked towards him. “Anyone can buy time and risk their life, right? So then, why didn’t you?”</p><p>“W-Well, it wasn’t my job, s-so—,” he stuttered, sweating heavily under the pressure as the Class S Hero focused all of her attention on him.</p><p>“That’s right, you didn’t save the lives of fellow human beings because it ‘wasn’t your job’,“ the teenager clapped with a mocking smile on her face before sneering in disgust. “Pathetic! All these injured Heroes around you threw themselves in front of danger just to save your ungrateful ass! It wasn’t because it was their job - they were in the evacuation shelter for a reason y’know - but they stepped up to a threat they knew they couldn’t face in order to protect <em>you</em>. And Genos jumped in front of a little kid to save their life while risking his own!</p><p>“And all those Heroes bought time for you guys to run away, but you still stuck around like a bunch of idiotic trash! If you really wanna know, our job as Heroes is not to defeat the monsters, but to help others to the best of our ability, which is what all of us did today,” proclaimed the teenager. “Classes, rankings - dumb shit like that shouldn’t matter, because at the end of day, who says that a Class C Hero can’t be stronger than a Class S one? Hmph! Don’t impose your own limited views on others, trash!”</p><p>Katsumi turned around sharply and ignored the clamoring of the spectators, appearing silently beside the two Heroes in the crater and bundling Genos more securely in her cloak before effortlessly slinging him over her shoulder. “See you around, Mumen Rider! Don’t forget to eat lots of protein for the next two days and take better care of yourself, jeez.” She gave Mumen Rider a friendly smile and a pat on the cheek before she stood up and walked over to Saitama, who was still standing by the monster corpse.</p><p>“Good job, Saitama. If I ask nicely, will you take me as a disciple too~?” the female asked, smirking at his immediate deadpan.</p><p>“Ha, no way,” the bald man instantly refused as they started walking down the street. “Oh…the rain stopped.”</p><p>“Katsumi, don’t you feel like you went a little overboard?” questioned Genos from over her shoulder.</p><p>“Ah, sorry ‘bout that! I got so caught up in tearing that fish guy up that I smashed him through a whole bunch of buildings, even though usually keep collateral damage to a minimum! I wonder if the Association will take that out of my next paycheck…” she pondered, furrowing her brows.</p><p>“They can do that?!” yelped Saitama, paling as he remembered how much property damage he caused throughout the years.</p><p>“Haha, I have no idea~!”</p><p>“I was referring to when you shouted at that guy in the evacuation shelter,” inputted the cyborg.</p><p>“I just didn’t like his attitude! He was putting you guys down even though Saitama beat the sashimi guy and you got so badly injured!” Katsumi huffed, suddenly pausing in her tracks and looking around. “By the way, which direction is Dr. Kuseno’s lab in?”</p><p>“We’re going the wrong way.”</p><p>“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?!”</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[THE NEXT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“What a beautiful day~,” hummed Katsumi in satisfaction, yawning loudly and peering out of the window from her position on the couch to see the clear, blue sky outside. Grabbing her phone off the coffee table, she unlocked it and started searching up on recent news and checking up on social media, eager for another monster fight to work off some steam, only to pause when all of the headlines were of <em>her</em>. “Huh…? What the hell—”</p><p>
  <em>‘GODDESS UNMASKED?!’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘The Face Behind The Hood!’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Another Class S Genius?’</em>
</p><p>
  <em>‘Flash Goddess Versus Deep Sea King! Watch here!’</em>
</p><p>“Oh shit!” Katsumi yelped as she dropped her phone and grabbed a cushion, slamming it into her face repeatedly. “I completely forgot about that! Ugh, now I’m gonna have to deal with people every time I leave the house! I need a smoke…”</p><p>Jumping off the couch, the ruby-haired girl walked over to her emergency stash of cigarettes, but froze mid-way when she remembered that she had thrown everything out when she decided to go cold turkey. It wasn’t like smoking could even give her cancer or lung-related problems, but she kept feeling guilty for exposing less resilient people to secondhand smoke. Growling in annoyance, she threw her cushion over her shoulder, not caring when she heard glass breaking behind her. “Dammit, why am I such a kind and considerate person?!”</p><p>‘<b>Bitch, what</b>?’ deadpanned Kana, her forehead twitching in irritation. ‘<b>You’ve got a strange sense of humor - saying that kind of bullshit with a straight face</b>.’</p><p>“I don’t want to hear that from you,” the Hero shot back as she stomped over to her pantry and flung the door wide open, inspecting the numerous bottles of alcohol with tired eyes. Snatching a random bottle off one of the shelves, she opened it and took a few large gulps before sighing in relief and shutting the pantry door, looking over the labelling on the bottle. “Hmm, 60%…kinda weak, but I already opened it. Better not let it go to waste~,” drawled Katsumi, taking another gulp straight from the bottle as she opened the glass door leading to the small balcony and closed her eyes, relishing the slight breeze that whipped through her long hair and the bright sun that shone on her face.</p><p>‘<b>I can’t believe you turned into an alcoholic,</b>’ complained her inner hollow. ‘<b>When you finally quit smoking, I didn’t expect you to pick up a new addiction so easily…</b>’</p><p>“It’s not like it’ll kill me, so don’t whine about it. Plus, it helps me to de-stress without causing massive amounts of property damage and slaughtering a bunch of those fake ‘Heroes’. Ugh, just seeing them parade around all day while spouting self-righteous garbage in order to get famous makes me so fucking sick!” Snapping her eyes open as a shadow passed over her face, the teenager observed the package floating down by parachute and the Hero Association plane that dropped it. “Sending mail by aircraft seems kinda pricy, but it’s not like it’s my money they’re wasting.”</p><p>Snatching her phone from where she had previously dropped it, she sent a quick text to Genos, asking if he could pick up the mail on the way back. “Since he and Saitama are both out shopping, I guess they won’t mind? Ah, I don’t even feel like going outside now that everyone knows what I look like - I can just imagine all those rapid reporters!” shuddered Katsumi, taking another gulp of the alcohol as she waited for her neighbors to get back so that she could pay her bills.</p><hr/><p>“So Katsumi, why exactly are you in my apartment again?” asked Saitama as he watched Genos upend a large box onto their table, letters piling up and spilling everywhere.</p><p>“Oh, Gorgeous texted me that the Association put all of our mail together, so I obviously had to come and hang out with you guys~!” smiled the female angelically, sparkles appearing all around her body as she beamed at her two neighbors. “Unless you had a problem with that?” The aura around her suddenly turned menacing and her ruby eyes glinted with the promise of violence, prompting both males to wordlessly shake their heads, not wanting to deal with the suddenly passive-aggressive woman.</p><p>“Katsumi, I must inform you that drinking such a large quantity of vodka is detrimental to your health and can lead to alcohol poisoning, liver disease, heart-related issues and many other such problems in the long run!” informed Genos in a worried tone. “Would you like me to list them all out?”</p><p>“…This is vodka?” she asked, holding the half-empty bottle in front of her face and squinting at the labelling. “Oh, so it is!”</p><p>“Did you not know? I assumed, since it was half-empty, that you have been drinking from that bottle for a long time and be familiar with it. Also, it says so on the label.”</p><p>“What do you mean? I only opened this baby up today!” exclaimed the teenager defensively, clutching the bottle protectively to her chest. “And I only look at the important bit on the label when buying this kinda stuff: the alcohol percentage!”</p><p>“And you still aren’t drunk yet?” whistled Saitama in amazement. “Cool!”</p><p>“Yes! My extremely high metabolism ensures that I never get drunk, only slightly tipsy, no matter how much I drink! Also, with my…healing factor, alcohol has absolutely no impacts on my health. I quit smoking a couple months ago, so now I drink when I get super stressed out. Let’s start opening letters!” Snatching up a letter that had fallen on the floor, Katsumi ripped it open and skimmed over the contents, taking another massive draught from the bottle as she did so.</p><p><em>“Dear Flash Goddess,”</em> read the letter, <em>“I think you’re absolutely gorgeous! I feel like we are super compatible and that we could be happy together.Would you like to go on a date—”</em></p><p>“Lame,” scoffed the teen, crumpling the letter into a ball and throwing it behind her as she reached for another. “Where the hell are my bills, dammit?”</p><p>“How dare they…I will look into these senders…” uttered Genos furiously, his eyes fixed upon a letter in his sensei’s hands.</p><p>“Hmm?” Looking over to the insulting letter, her eyes grew cold and she crumpled another love letter in her clenched fist. “I thought I fixed that PR issue! It must still be from that meteor incident with the Tank-Top losers; maybe I could pay them a visit…”</p><p>“Don’t they have anything better to do?” the bald man questioned, setting the letter down and sifting through the pile for another letter. “Oh, here’s another one.”</p><p><em>“To the hero Saitama, </em><em>thanks to you I</em><em> Thank you!!” </em>read the letter.</p><p>“An acquaintance?” Genos asked.</p><p>“I dunno. But he’s thanking me.”</p><p>“You must have helped him sometime,” stated Genos, a small smile on his face.</p><p>“That’s so sweet~!” cooed Katsumi as she ripped open a new letter and gazed at the X-rated pictures inside with dull eyes. <em>‘I’m honestly kind of jealous of Saitama. I wish my fans thanked me for my work instead of constantly sending super cliche love confessions, hook-up requests and nudes…’</em></p><p>‘<b>Tch, this chick’s only a seven out of ten,</b>’ sneered Kana as the ruby-haired female flipped through the stack of images while chugging down more alcohol, frowning when she finished the entire bottle off without fanfare.</p><p>‘Don’t objectify people like that!’ Katsumi scolded, setting the bottle on the floor with a slight <em>clink</em>. ‘But I totally agree. No matter how pretty, that fake tan is just <em>awful, </em>ugh.’</p><p>“Class C, Rank 1…,” murmured Saitama, causing the female to spring up and peer over his shoulder, grinning at the promotion and clapping him on the shoulder happily.</p><p>“Good job, Saitama!” she cheered, throwing her hands in the air happily while letting go of the pictures she had been holding, sending them fluttering through the air and landing everywhere. With a panicked expression, she watched as Genos picked up one that had landed facedown in front of him and flipped it over. “Wait—!”</p><p>“Wha—”</p><p>“Kyaa, don’t look at them, you perverts! I’m protecting my fan’s modesty, dammit!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I will be adding [Sonido] to the stat page, I totally forgot before, haha</p><p>Hope you enjoyed, don’t forget to leave kudos and a comment~! Stay tuned for more!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. HARBINGER</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alien Invasion!!!</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Disclaimer: I don’t own anything in this fic except for Katsumi</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Regular talking.”</p><p>‘<em>Regular thinking or quotes.</em>’</p><p>“<b>Visored talking.</b>”</p><p>‘Katsumi mentally talking to Kana.’</p><p>‘<b>Kana talking to Katsumi.</b>’</p><p>[“Speaker announcements.”]</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MONTHS AGO]</b>
</p><p>“So this is the place?” asked the female, pulling back the black hood concealing the top half of her face as she gazed up at the mountain before her, sharp ruby eyes focusing on the dojo she could see at the very top. Shifting her gaze to the stone steps carved into the mountain that lead all the way to the top, Katsumi’s eyes twitched in irritation and a tick mark appeared on her forehead. “Does that old geezer really expect everyone who visits him to climb up all of these shitty stairs?! Like hell!”</p><p>Shivering as she recalled all the times she was forced by her demonic sensei to run up mountains in the name of training, she pulled her hood back on and used a series of Flash Steps to reach the mountaintop in mere moments and reached for the wooden sliding door, pausing uncertainly just before she slid it open. <em>‘What if this is another dead end? What if - after all this time - I turn up with no leads again?,’</em> thought the ruby-haired female as she bit her lip worryingly. <em>‘I don’t even know what Garou looks like anymore. Does he even remember me?’</em></p><p>‘<b>Who gives a shit?</b>’ snarked Kana in irritation. ‘<b>Don’t be so damn weak! If this does turn out to be a dead end, then we’ll just rip up every single city until we find him! And if he doesn’t remember us, beat the memories back into his shitty skull!</b>’</p><p>‘I don’t want him to hate me, you idiot! Still though, that could work as Plan B…’ mused the teen, all of her doubts dispelling at her counterpart’s words and a bright smile appearing on her face as she knocked on the wooden door and slid it open, peering curiously inside. ‘Thanks, Kana!’</p><p>The interior of the dojo seemed fairly spacious, though that may just have been due to the fact that there were only two people inside, one of which she recognized from the Class S meeting one week ago. <em>‘Silverfang, huh? He may be old, but his reiatsu is exceptionally strong for a human. Additionally, amongst all of the Class S Heroes, he is one of the only ones that possesses true skill instead of just raw power or genius, which is slightly terrifying, considering the fact that he’s Rank 3.’</em> Sliding her concealed eyes to the second figure, she found someone who was…totally weak. In terms of reiatsu at least. <em>‘There’s gotta be a reason why this pathetic-looking guy is Silverfang’s only remaining pupil. Maybe he’s concealing his true strength by pretending to only be a white-belt? Rank 3 sure is a sly old fox.’</em></p><p>“Hello,” the hooded female greeted with a polite bow before straightening up and facing the two individuals that were staring at her. “It’s a pleasure to meet you again, Silverfang. May I come in to speak with you? I confess that this visit is completely unrelated to our jobs - it’s a personal problem.”</p><p>“The newbie, eh? Sure, just leave your shoes outside,” replied the old man, waving her inside.</p><p>Leaving her platforms by the entrance, Katsumi entered the dojo and slid the door shut behind her, walking to the Hero and dipping into another shallow bow. “My thanks, Silverfang, for agreeing to meet with me on a trivial matter such as this.”</p><p>“Ah, but if you climbed all the way up this mountain for a chat, then it clearly isn’t trivial to you,” he chuckled, gesturing at her to take a seat next to his pupil, joining them on the wooden floor. “And please, no need to be so formal. Just call me Bang.”</p><p>“Ah, okay. And your student? Who is he?” she questioned, trying to get a feel for the potential hostile. <em>‘Maybe I’ll recognize his name! Though, he doesn’t really look like any famous martial artists I’ve seen on TV…’</em></p><p>“M-My name is Charanko!” he stuttered, shuffling slightly as he stole glances at her hooded form. “Are you that new Class S Hero, the Flash Goddess?”</p><p>“Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that annoying name,” she huffed, incredibly frustrated at having the same alias as her sensei. She pushed her hood back and shook her hair out, running slender fingers through ruby strands to smoothen out any tangles and smiled at the two males sitting across from her in seiza. “But since I’m here on personal business, you guys can just call me Katsumi. I hope you can keep a secret~”</p><p>“W-Wha—-”</p><p>“Hoh, that won’t be a problem at all,” reassured Bang with a kindly smile. “Now, what did you so desperately need to talk to me about?”</p><p>“I was having dinner in a nice little restaurant last night, but some <em>very</em> irritating drunks were getting a little too frisky with their waitress, so I kindly went out of my way to drag them outside and beat them down in a quiet alleyway - all in the name of justice, obviously,” Katsumi beamed brightly, exposing sharp canines that gleamed dangerously as she unashamedly lied to the experienced Hero and his disciple, who had paled dramatically at her callous words. “Interestingly enough, I heard one of them comparing me to another person that had done the same thing to them, just a few months prior. I was so intrigued that I had to…<em>ask</em> them nicely for more specific details, and as it turns out, they were all part of your dojo until a couple months ago!”</p><p>“They may have been my students once, but now that they have left, I am not responsible for any ridiculous actions they—”</p><p>“Oh no, I could give less of a damn about a bunch of weak trash!” refused the female, waving her hand nonchalantly as though she was brushing the matter away. “I’m an incredibly selfish girl, you see? I want to know more about the person who attacked them and made all of your students quit, Bang. I heard his name was Garou…do you still have a picture of him that I could see? Please?”</p><p>“Hmm…” Pulling a folded picture from somewhere (<em>'The rumored, legendary hammerspace?’</em> thought the teen in shock), Bang handed it to the ruby-haired female who took it with a grateful nod, unfolding it carefully with trembling fingers. Tracing a shaking thumb over the young man in the photo, Katsumi’s wide eyes greedily traced over all the details she could see; that bright silver hair, those determined golden eyes, and that familiar necklace with a ring she knew better than the back of her own hand.</p><p><em>‘It’s really him!’</em> she thought triumphantly, only managing to tear her eyes away from the picture when it started blurring and she felt a wet warmth sluicing down her cheeks. Raising a quivering hand to a face, she patted her cheek in confusion and held her hand out in front of her, staring at the tears that covered it in bewilderment. “I’m…crying?” Clutching the photo to her chest like a lifeline, Katsumi collapsed backwards, ruby strands splaying beneath her as she dissolved into hysterical laughter, tears of joy leaking from closed eyes and dripping down the side of her face, much to the confusion of the two males that stared at her shaking form in concern.</p><p>“Sensei, do we need to take her to the hospital?” whispered Charanko, covering his mouth with one hand while pointing at Katsumi with the other. “She’s obviously not alright in the head!”</p><p>“Hahaha, no I’m not that crazy yet!” chuckled the female as she rolled to her side and sat back in seiza, rubbing at her face until all of the tears were gone and she was back in pristine condition. Placing a fist over her heart, Katsumi bowed deeply at the Hero and then straightened up, bright ruby eyes glowing in unrestrained exultation as she gripped the photo tightly. “Many thanks, Silverfang. Anything you require of me in the future, feel free to ask. I am in your debt.”</p><p>“Ah, no need for that kind of thing,” Bang refused, eyes crinkling more at the edges as he smiled at her. “Such a happy expression on your face is payment enough. But if I can ask, how do you know my ex-pupil?”</p><p>“For this favor you have done for me, I will gladly tell you!” exclaimed Katsumi, looking down at the photo in her hands again. “We used to be best friends, back before everything started. My home life was…not the best. I never knew my real parents, and my foster parents were some of those stupidly rich types that only adopted me so that I would fit into their cookie-cutter life and look good in tabloids. For the life of me, I still can’t remember them ever speaking a single word to me. Everything was so damn dull and boring.</p><p>“I met him when I beat up a bunch of snotty kids at a playground and we just clicked, y’know? He was such an amazing person, caring and compassionate—”</p><p>“<em>Compassionate</em>?!” shrieked Charanko in the background.</p><p>“—that he shined so brightly in my eyes. It was like looking at the sun for the first time. Unfortunately, I was kidnapped one year later, and only managed to escape after two years, but by then, I was certifiably insane and only seeking revenge. Sensei saved me, from starvation and my own stupidity, and I resolved to become a better person. I trained with her for over seven years in isolation and once she left this world, I came back to civilization. I’ve been looking for Garou ever since, but I didn’t receive any confirmation he was still alive until I interrogated those guys yesterday.”</p><p>“H-How do you know that’s the same Garou?” Charanko questioned, rubbing his hands together nervously. “It could just be a coincidence.”</p><p>“Hah, I’d recognize those eyes anywhere!” Katsumi proclaimed proudly. She held out the photo to them and pointed at the necklace he was wearing with a smug little grin. “But, since he’s wearing this necklace, it’s definitely my Garou! After all, it was the only thing my real parents left me before they died.”</p><p>“So that’s why he never took it off,” muttered Bang lowly as he pondered her story. “Did you give it to him?”</p><p>“He wishes!” snorted the ruby eyed female, folding the photo back up and clutching it tightly. “He probably found it in the alley I was kidnapped in and kept it as a memento. If you guys see Garou again, tell him I want both him and that ring back.”</p><p>“Don’t you want the whole necklace, though?” asked Charanko. “Why just the ring?”</p><p>“Oh, that’s an engagement ring. According to a self-imposed rule, as long as he has it, he’s technically my fiancé.”</p><p>““WHAT?!””</p><hr/><p>
  <b>[PRESENT DAY]</b>
</p><p>“Fist of Flowing Water, Crushed Rock! It goes like that. So? Want to try?” asked Bang, looking at the three Heroes sitting on his dojo floor. “You all have good instincts, so I’m sure you can master it right away.”</p><p>“I just came ‘cause you said you’d show me something cool, Gramps. But a sales pitch? I’m not interested,” refused Saitama, a bored expression on his face. “Genos, you do it.”</p><p>“No, I will pass too. Instead of the art of self defense, I seek absolute destructive power.”</p><p>“Sorry, Bang,” winced Katsumi, guiltily shuffling on the floor and playing with the long sleeves on her cloak as she pouted and looked away. “I may have mastered basic [Hakuda], but I’ve still got a long way to go until I perfect Sensei’s [Shunkō], so I haven’t got the time to learn a new style.”</p><p>“You punks! You dare mock our fighting style?! I am Charanko! Bang-sensei’s best disciple!” shouted Charanko furiously, jumping to his feet and dashing toward them, only to be stopped in his tracks by Genos holding him up by his neck. “Ugh! I give up!”</p><p><em>‘Oh yeah,’</em> thought the resident female of the group as she deadpanned at the pathetic display of combat prowess. <em>‘I can’t believe I thought this guy was a secret weapon, but actually turned out to be complete garbage.’</em></p><p>“You’re his best disciple?” asked Genos in disappointment, dropping him on the floor and turning back to the white-haired man. “Bang, I expected better from your dojo.”</p><p>“Well…there is one who stands unchecked,” Bang replied, discreetly glancing at the ruby-haired teen out of the corner of his eye. “He beat my most skilled students so badly that they’re all out of commission. The rest all got scared and quit.”</p><p>“Pathetic,” snickered Katsumi, reaching over to pat Charanko on the back reassuringly. “You may be completely weak, but at least you aren’t a coward, right?”</p><p>“Is he strong?” Saitama asked, standing up beside Genos. “What’s his name?”</p><p>“Garou. He was once my finest disciple, but I beat him up and expelled him,” sighed Bang in resignation.</p><p>“You kick butt, Gramps!” exclaimed the bald man.</p><p>“Haven’t you heard of the Hero named [Silverfang]?!” Charanko shouted, jumping up again and holding his sore neck. “Class S, Rank 3! With moves like water, he toys with his opponents, then delivers a blow like a raging river smashing huge rocks! A master of martial arts! You only became a Hero recently, right? You’ll regret taking Bang-sensei lightly!”</p><p>“Enough, Charanko! Do not disgrace me!” Bang reprimanded sternly. “Saitama is much more powerful than I!”</p><p>“M-Master…surely you’re kidding…”</p><p>“Mr. Silverfang!” shouted a suit-clad man as he slid open one of the wooden doors, partially collapsing in the doorway while sweating heavily from exertion. “I’m from the Hero Association. An emergency summons has been issued to all Class S Heroes! Please, you must come to headquarters!”</p><p>Katsumi scoffed and looked away in annoyance, having felt this reiatsu approaching at an appalling slow pace for the past twenty minutes. At the noise, the exhausted man shifted his gaze from the martial artist and registered the other presences in the room, brightening up considerably when he realized who else was there. “Oh! Is that you, Mr. Genos? And the Flash Goddess as well! Since all Class S Heroes have been summoned, please come too.”</p><p>“Why couldn’t you guys just call us on the phone?” muttered the female, eye twitching in irritation. “This is such a waste of time and manpower, jeez!”</p><p>“I agree; a phone call would be more time efficient if this matter is that serious. Is it Threat Level: Dragon?” asked Genos.</p><p>“Oh dear…Charanko, watch the dojo for me,” Bang called out as he started to walk away.</p><p>
  <em>“Be careful, Sensei!”</em>
</p><p>“Sensei, they may need you strength,” stated Genos. “Will you come too?”</p><p>“Sure. I’ve got nothing else to do.”</p><hr/><p>“Oh! Silverfang!” greeted a caped Hero jovially, a hand resting on one of his two katanas, as the metal door slid open, allowing the quartet into the meeting room. “I knew you’d come! And this is the cyborg Genos and…I don’t know those two.”</p><p>“It’s been awhile, Atomic Samurai. This is Saitama, Class B,” introduced Bang, gesturing at the bald hero. “He will one day top Class S, I’m sure, so we asked him to come. As for this young lady, you guys have already met before.”</p><p>“You’re a Hero too, middle-aged dude? Nice to meet you!” Saitama exclaimed, holding his gloved hand out for a shake, only for it to be slapped away.</p><p>“I’m not shaking your hand. I only acknowledge the strong,” glowered Atomic Samurai. “Once you’ve climbed up to Class S, I’ll greet you properly. And I’m not middle-aged, I’m only thirty-seven.”</p><p>“You sure about that, old man?” taunted Katsumi, a leering grin on her face as leaned forward smugly. “It doesn’t seem like you have any social media or watch the news, otherwise you’d definitely know who I am!”</p><p>“Another idol—?”</p><p>“Hey! Who dragged in this Class B loser?!” shouted a voice, causing the ruby-haired teen to turn to the aggravated newcomer. “Don’t you think it’s beneath us? And even if you were invited, a polite person would decline. You’ve got some nerve! I bet you’re only here for some creepy reason, like getting close to us Class S Heroes! You disgust me! So get lost!”</p><p>“W-What’s with this sassy…lost child?” asked a bewildered Saitama, pointing at the green-haired, irate woman.</p><p>“Hear that, Tornado?” Katsumi asked, hiding a razor sharp smile behind black-painted nails, as she curved her eyes into happy (fake) crescents. “Children like you should just go home already.”</p><p>“You’re one to talk! I’m obviously older than you, so you should show more respect!” rebutted the esper, a green aura covering her lithe form as she floated up to face the taller female head-on, inspecting her face and clicking her tongue as she smirked in triumph. “So this is what you look like, Flash. Covering up that (ugly) face of yours is starting to make a lot more sense now!”</p><p>“Isn’t it?” huffed Katsumi, flicking her long, ruby hair over her shoulder haughtily as she walked away with lengthy strides. “Now that everyone knows what I look like, they just can’t get enough of me! Oh, not that you would know…old hag. Do try to keep up - age is not an excuse for tardiness!”</p><p>“You brat—!”</p><hr/><p><b>[Class S, Rank 17: Puri-Puri Prisoner]:</b> <em>‘This is my chance to flirt with Genos…’</em></p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 16: Genos]:</b> <em>‘This must be important. Almost everyone has come.’</em></p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 15: Metal Bat]:</b> “Threat Levels Demon and Dragon are nothing to me!”</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 14: Tank-Top Master]:</b> <em>‘…Saitama? I’ve heard that name before…’</em></p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 13: Watchdog Man]:</b> *sniff, sniff* <em>‘Someone farted…’</em></p><p>
  <b>[Class S, Rank 12: Flash Goddess]:</b>
  <em> ‘I totally forgot to tell Z about the House of Evolution! I’ll do it after this dumb meeting….Would Watchdog Man rip my hand off if I patted his head? So fluffy…’</em>
</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 11: Superalloy Darkshine]:</b> <em>‘Is everyone looking at my bod?! Do I shine more than anyone?!’</em></p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 10: Pig God]:</b> *chewing noises*</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 9: Drive Knight]:</b> *looks around*</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 8: Zombieman]:</b> <em>‘I haven’t seen Katsumi in a while - we should catch up after the meeting. Even she doesn’t look particularly enthusiastic to be here. Also, how much is that pig gonna eat?’</em></p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 7: King]:</b> *King’s engine rumbles*</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 6: Metal Knight]:</b> ABSENT</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 5: Child Emperor]:</b> <em>‘Rank 1 isn’t here again…I wanted to meet him! The Flash Goddess looks surprisingly young in person, not that I can talk…’ </em></p><p>
  <b>[Class S, Rank 4: Atomic Samurai]: </b>
  <em>‘Is Silverfang going to instruct those two newbies? Heh! They’ll make good rivals for my pupils! And that teenager turned out to be the Flash Goddess - who would’ve guessed?’</em>
</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 3: Silverfang]:</b> “So…what brings us here?”</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 2: Terrible Tornado]:</b> “How should I know?! I had to drop everything and then had to wait for two hours without any explanation!”</p><p><b>[Class S, Rank 1: Blast]:</b> ABSENT</p><p><b>[Class B, Rank 63: Saitama]:</b> “Can I have some tea?”</p><hr/><p>The metal door slid open and three suited men walked in, the middle one coming to a stop at the head of the touchscreen table. “My apologies for being late. We do not know the whereabouts of Metal Knight or Blast, nor can we reach them. This cannot wait, so we issued an emergency summons. Now let’s get started. I’m Sitch from the Hero Association. I will brief you today. You Heroes are here because you’re the best of the best. And now…we’re asking you to save the Earth!” he proclaimed, slamming his hands on the tabletop in emphasis.</p><p>“Even you Class S Heroes could lose your lives. You may decline now and maintain your status as Class S, but those who stay and hear me out will not be allowed to walk away. You will be confined here until the incident is over in order to avoid a general panic,” he stated, looking around seriously. “Are you prepared to hear this?”</p><p>“Whatever’s going on, it better be worth calling all of us here,” complained Metal Bat, a tick mark appearing on his forehead. “I skipped out on my little sister’s piano recital for this. If it’s a load of crap, I’m trashing this place!”</p><p>“Like you could do that with that skinny stick,” scoffed Tatsumaki (better known as Terrible Tornado) as she crossed her arms.</p><p>“Yeah? How ‘bout I bust your head open instead?!”</p><p>“If you think you can, go on and try, pillbug head!”</p><p>“Hey, I’m hungry,” sighed Katsumi in irritation, resting her head on the table and shutting her eyes. “Can we hurry this up so I can get food?”</p><p>“The great seer known as Madame Shibabawa…is dead!” declared Sitch. All of the Heroes turned to look at him in astonishment, excluding Saitama - who had no clue who Madame Shibabawa was - and Katsumi, who cracked one eye open to stare at Sitch.</p><p>“Shibabawa?! Did someone kill her?” Zombieman asked.</p><p>“No,” replied Sitch with a resigned look on his features. “When looking into the future for the next six months, she grew frightened and had a coughing fit. She popped a cough drop into her mouth, but ended up choking on it.…”</p><p>‘<b>Bwahahahaha,</b>’ chortled Kana, wiping tears of mirth from her gold-on-black eyes. ‘<b>Guess she didn’t see <em>that</em> coming!</b>’</p><p>‘Shut the fuck up, idiot! Don’t make me laugh in front of everyone!’</p><p>“I see…So from now on, we must handle disasters without Shibabawa’s prophecies. Is that what this meeting is about?” asked Superalloy Darkshine.</p><p>“No,” answered Sitch. “Madame Shibabawa foretold only a small portion of the disasters we address. Many went unforetold even before now. We have gotten out of many tight spots without her, but we gave her our personal protection and treated her specially. That’s because her predictions are 100% accurate! The crux of the problem is her last, greatest prophecy!” he declared as he pulled out a folded piece of paper from an inner breast pocket of his suit and unfolded it, setting it facedown on the table so that it could be scanned.</p><p>“Even as she choked on that final cough drop, she managed to record it on this note. It is a prophecy that will absolutely come to pass. Here it is! Can you read it?”</p><p>An enlarged holographic scan of the note appeared before his face and everyone read it aloud in shock. “”Th-The Earth…is in danger?!””</p><p>“What?!” complained Child Emperor. “That is so dumb! I’ve got cram school, so can I go?”</p><p>“Child Emperor, you’re ten-years old, right?” Sitch asked. “I heard you were a genius, but if you do not recognize the crisis before us, it reveals how immature you still are.”</p><p>“What’d you say?!” gritted out the prodigy as he clenched his fists.</p><p>“Listen closely. Madame Shibabawa’s predictions are 100% accurate! She has foretold numerous catastrophes in the past. Some resulted in mass deaths! And yet, Madame Shibabawa never once used the word ‘danger’! Something more dangerous than a Dragon-level catastrophe is on its way! And within the next six months!!” Sitch shouted, sweating heavily and looking extremely stressed out. </p><p>“I understand that,” said Watchdog Man. “But if we don’t know that exact time, how can we prepare for it?”</p><p>“I'm agreeing with Child Emperor and Watchdog Man on this one,” Katsumi stated, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms beneath her bust. “Even if this prophecy is 100% guaranteed to happen within the next six months, there really is no logical way to prepare for such a large-scale battle in that vague time-frame without alerting the public, and if that happens, all the herbivores are gonna go on a panicked rampage.”</p><p>
  <em>“Herbivores…?”</em>
</p><p>“But it could come tomorrow or even <em>today</em>,” said Saitama. “Good thing I came!”</p><p>“That’s actually a good point,” conceded the ruby-haired female, smirking in his direction. “At least we’ll be able to mobilize quickly if somet—” Shooting out of her seat so fast that it appeared that she was sitting one moment and standing the next, the black chair falling over in a loud clatter, Katsumi looked in the direction of the powerful reiatsu she sensed, much to the bewilderment of everyone in the room.</p><p>“Flash Goddess?” asked Sitch. “What—”</p><p>“Doesn’t this building have proximity sensors?! There’s something outside in the sky!” Katsumi said urgently, placing her hand on her head and wincing at the mass of foreign reiatsu that suddenly made itself known to her. <em>‘Why I didn’t sense them arrive?!’</em></p><p>“Outside—?”</p><p>A loud <em>boom</em> shook the building and everyone jolted in their seats, a few Heroes standing up in alarm as more reverberations followed.</p><p>“What?! Is the building under attack?!” exclaimed Genos, looking around.</p><p>“That’s impossible!” shouted Darkshine. “This is the Hero Association HQ!”</p><p>“Hey!” Katsumi yelled, smacking her hands on the table to get Sitch’s attention, attracting quite a few pairs of eyes in the process. “Don’t waste my time panicking! Tell me how to get out of this maze of a building right now, or I swear to god, I will blow a hole straight through this wall and jump out! People are in danger, idiot!”</p><p>“T-The exit is over this wa—”</p><p>An absolutely thunderous explosion shook the entire building to its foundations, forcing Katsumi to brace her hand on the table for stability, and the room plunged into pitch darkness before a speaker sounded out. [“Emergency power activated.”] The lights switched back on and many of the Heroes were now on their feet with serious expressions on their faces.</p><p>“What’s going on out there?” questioned Sitch.</p><p>“I don't know,” replied a beard Association worker, placing an earpiece in and checking his phone. “All communications have been cut off!”</p><p>“Damn it…” Sitch muttered as he tapped on the table and brought up scans of the city, gasping in horror at the information that came up. “Impossible! Destruction levels at 99.8%? City A has been destroyed in an instant!”</p><p>“Hey! Why is <b>this</b> building still standing?” thundered Bang, an irate scowl on his face.</p><p>“Metal Knight constructed Headquarters to be stronger than the average shelter! But outside is a wasteland!”</p><p>“So that’s why there are no windows,” stated Metal Bat, resting his bat on his shoulder. “This place is a stronghold for keeping out monsters.”</p><p>Katsumi startled at the feeling of Saitama’s reiatsu outside, not noticing him leave the room at all. <em>‘How did he—?’</em> Spotting the hole in the ceiling, she chuckled and silently vanished in a Flash Step, landing on the sleek, obsidian surface of the Hero Association Headquarters roof and watched Saitama board the gargantuas spaceship.</p><p>“So much for not wrecking Headquarters,” she sighed, wrinkling her nose as she pondered how to destroy the spaceship without causing further damage to the city below - not that it wasn’t already completely demolished, but there were still escaping survivors, so letting that huge thing fall from the sky right now was definitely not an option. “I could probably vaporize it with my reiatsu, but Saitama’s in there, and despite how strong he is, I’m not sure if he’s immune to that. I’m assuming he’s explosion-proof though, so I guess I could use Shunkō, even though it isn’t finished yet…”</p><p>Feeling a few Heroes engage the hostile at ground level while some of the others were starting to come up to the roof, she shrugged off her large trench coat - since it would be completely destroyed by her technique regardless - and watched the heavy, black fabric flutter as it was whisked away by the wind. She’d find it later. Probably. Since her face was already known to the media, she could now use Shunkō - which would normally rip away the back and sleeves of her cloak and leave it in tatters - and had made adjustments to her attire accordingly. Her new top was a black halter neck that hugged her sizable curves tightly and exposed the entire swathe of her smooth back - unmarked despite all the times it had been ripped into, thanks to her instant regeneration - paired with (black) reinforced leggings and her ever-present, five inch platform boots.</p><p>Gathering her lengthy, ruby hair into a high ponytail, she tied it securely and let a few long strands frame her face, not bothering to turn around to greet the new arrivals. “What took you guys so long?” Katsumi teased playfully, feeling piercing golden eyes travel along the length of her back and settle on the dip in her spine. Genos wasn’t nearly as discreet as he thought he was. “I’ve been waiting for you slowpokes for ages~”</p><p>“Ugh, we can’t all be as fast as you, Flash,” complained Child Emperor as he nibbled on a spiral lollipop. “SIlverfang, Metal Bat, Atomic Samurai and Puri-Puri Prisoner are enough for the enemy on the ground. The problem is that huge weapon up above. We can’t reach it up there and it would shoot any approaching aircrafts down.”</p><p>“King, you’re near the top of Class S. What do you think?” asked Darkshine.</p><p>“I can’t do anything,” he replied stoically, though Katsumi could hear his ‘Engine’ firing up and pounding loudly. “There is no way to attack it up there. But the mysterious flying object is currently dormant. We should use this opportunity to call in Metal Knight.”</p><p>“Ugh, not that guy,” groaned Katsumi. “I’d rather deal with this on my own.”</p><p>“What?! You’re pitiful!” Tatsumaki yelled at King, a tick mark appearing on her face. “And you call yourself the strongest?! A whole city is gone! Are you going to let the enemy get the jump again?!”</p><p><em>“Um, Tornado, if you anger King, he’ll kill you…” </em>muttered Darkshine nervously.</p><p>“Well, forget it! I’ll handle this myself!” shouted the angry esper, clenching her fists.</p><p>“Wait,” Genos said. “It may not work, but I can attack from the surface.”</p><p>“I can make it up to the ship, but I can’t carry anyone else if I want to fight as well. Sorry Genos, King,” apologized the ruby eyed teen, trying her best to give the unfortunate ‘Strongest Man’ a way out of the situation, fully knowing that he was nothing more than a baseline human with disastrous luck.</p><p>“Maybe you didn’t hear me. I said forget about it!” growled the green-haired woman.</p><p>“Hah? You gonna stop me, shorty?” asked an irked Katsumi, bending forward to butt heads with the shorter Hero, sparks flying between their eyes while Genos fixed the esper with an unamused expression.</p><p>“C-Calm down, Genos, Flash,” yelped Darkshine worryingly. “I understand how you guys feel, but if you anger her, she’ll kill you…”</p><p>Bright purple lights on the underside of the ship glowed brightly and the two females rapidly made their way to the ground team, who were surrounding a creepy looking alien with two heads, all of them looking upwards as the glow intensified and the spaceship fired a massive amount of cannons, all concentrated on their position.</p><p>“It’s over,” smirked one of the alien’s heads, the other tacking on, “Retreat is impossible. Die.”</p><p>From her position beside Tatsumaki, Katsumi watched as a green glow surrounded the esper and she thrust her hand out, forcing all the incoming projectiles to halt mid-air, the same green aura covering the massive shells.</p><p>“What happened?!” Bang asked, all of the ground team turning around to see the two females standing amidst the rubble.</p><p>“She stopped all of them…” murmured Puri-Puri Prisoner in awe.</p><p>“You’re all hopeless without me! It takes this long to beat one small fry? You should start over in Class C!” berated Tatsumaki as she began floating and casually pointed one delicate finger up, causing all the projectiles to turn around and fire back at the ship. “I’m returning these shells!”</p><p>Large explosions impacted the bottom of the spacecraft and Katsumi whistled appreciatively at all the damage caused by a single gesture. “Impressive, Tornado. But since I’m getting up close and personal, do try your best not to hit me, ‘kay~?” Channelling the Kidō through her body to activate the technique, twin gouts of pressurized reiatsu emitted from her back in the shape of fiery wings (much to the shock of everyone watching) and Katsumi launched herself towards the massive spaceship with a Flash Step and an exhilarated grin. “Shunkō!” Driving her bare fist into the dense material, the concentrated energy erupted from her fist in an absolutely colossal explosion that blew her away and sent her flying backwards before she righted herself on a reishi platform mid-air. “Bakuen Musō!”</p><p>As she deactivated the technique, the teen looked over the damage and chuckled when she realized it had blown a hole straight through the ship, which was more than what she could say for Tatsumaki’s projectiles, but it was still not nearly enough to bring the massivecraft down. “I win again~. But it didn’t do that much damage overall…I need to increase my trainin—whoa!” Dodging a gigantic, green-shrouded piece of rubble on instinct alone, Katsumi glared at the smirking esper floating much further down. “So even someone like her can be competitive too, huh? Well then, let’s see how she finds this!”</p><p>She swiped a hand in front of her face to form her hollow mask and charged up a Cero on each hand, sending piercing violet beams that impacted the base of the spaceship, leaving a trail of numerous detonations in their wake as the trigger-happy teen pushed even more reiatsu into them and directed the rays along the entire length of the ship. “<b>How’s that, Tornado~?</b>” gloated Katsumi as she dispelled her mask.</p><p>Suddenly, one of the two clashing reiatsu’s within the ship - Saitama fighting the leader, she presumed - had a massive uptick in reiatsu output, comparable to a Bankai or Resurrección being released. Then, to top things off, Saitama’s boundless (read: terrifying) reiatsu disappeared from her range entirely. “The fuck? Did he get bored and just peace out on the fight or something?”</p><p>‘<b>Who cares if he did? That leader-guy feels strong as hell! Let’s go fight him!</b>’ urged Kana, sadistic glee prevalent in every syllable. ‘<b>We would probably be forced to hollowfy as well - it would be a glorious fight!</b>’</p><p>“Kill stealing is so rude! Though a good fight sounds…really fun…” murmured Katsumi before slapping her face to shake those thoughts away. “No way, I refuse to be a battle junkie!”</p><p>Before her hollow could prod her into a fight, she felt the reappearance of a certain caped man, not just from his reiatsu, but also the shockwaves that reverberated through the air as he smashed into the enemy ship from above, with all the force of a…well, she didn’t exactly have anything to compare that craziness to. The force of his landing sent the entire ship listing, its port quarter slamming heavily into the ground. Katsumi felt the leader build up what seemed to be an indomitable amount of energy and she sweated nervously, backing away subconsciously. “I’m not sure if I could even use a Cero Doble on that monstrosity, heh.”</p><p>Saitama must have punched the attack, because the blowback spilt apart the energy and dispelled it, exploding the spaceship and reducing the leader’s once-large reiatsu to such a low level that she couldn’t even sense it anymore. He was probably dead then. The teenager was so stunned by what she could sense of their (totally epic!) battle that she stood on that reishi platform in the air, not realizing the ship was coming down until a large chunk of rubble fell on her head and literally knocked some sense into her, but not managing to make it through her Hierro. “Gah! My hair!”</p><p>Using Flash Steps, she appeared high in the air above the other Heroes, completely unnoticed. Katsumi patted dust from her hair and clothing, only focusing on their conversation when she heard a familiarly infuriating voice. She wanted to watch this play out, unsure of how Amai Mask acted when he wasn’t fawning over her ‘true beauty’ or whatever, so she clamped down on her reiatsu entirely to hide her presence and watched in, her enhanced hearing and sight letting her pick up every detail despite how far away from the ground she was.</p><p>“—filming a TV drama in the next town. There was a roar and tremors so I came, only to find City A in ruins,” said Amai Mask, sitting casually atop part of a building, not a single speck of dust on his carefully-maintained person. Honestly, Katsumi was kinda jealous.</p><p>“Monsters on a huge-ass ship attacked us,” Metal Bat explained, waving his bat around and pointing it at the ruins of the spaceship behind him. “They fired artillery at us and did all this. But we took care of it.”</p><p>“‘Took care of it,’ you say?” questioned the idol, his golden eyes flaring into a blood-red in anger. “You call this a <em>victory</em>? Your incompetence amazes me! I’m completely appalled at all of you!”</p><p>“Hey, you pickin’ a fight? You didn’t even show up on time, so don’t cop an attitude,” Metal Bat gritted out, irritation obvious in the crease of his brows.</p><p>“It’s true I didn’t make it in time, but you were all <b>here</b>…and you didn’t protect the city!” the blue-haired man threw back.</p><p>“We were in a meeting at Headquarters,” said Atomic Samurai, stepping forward with one hand on a katana - as always. “We came out within seconds of Flash’s warning, but the city was already destroyed.”</p><p>“Flash Goddess?” asked Amai Mask, perking up noticeably as he surveyed the group from his perch on the tall piece of rubble. “Where is she now?”</p><p>“Eh?” The swordsman looked around and only seemed to notice her absence at that moment, the rest of the Heroes copying him and scanning their surroundings, but not a single one of them looked up.</p><p>‘<b>All these fools would die if they were in a horror movie,</b>’ Kana snickered as she watched the confusion on their faces.</p><p>‘Yup,’ mentally sighed Katsumi in disappointment. ‘How lame.’</p><p>“She and Tornado brought the ship down, but she was fighting close range…” trailed off Atomic Samurai as he stared at the colossal form of the fallen spacecraft. “Uh, you guys don’t think she’s stuck under that, do you?”</p><p>“Tch, like a little rubble would keep someone like her down. She wouldn’t have climbed the ranks so fast if she was that weak. The rest of you Class S Heroes are a disgrace!” scoffed the idol, gracefully sliding down the rubble to join the rest of the group on the ground and sliding a hand through his blue hair. “Anybody this useless should voluntarily retire!”</p><p>The ruby-haired teen was actually flattered by his comment. Granted, it was the least sugar-coated thing he had ever said about her - in her presence, at least - but it certainly meant the most. However, she didn’t exactly appreciate him trash-talking some of her friends, and from the look on Bad’s face as he stalked angrily towards the other man, neither did he.</p><p>“Hey! Don’t start talkin’ crap with us! Who’s gonna care about a pop idol with his face busted all to Hell?!” threatened the bat-wielding Hero, leaning in to intimidate Amai Mask.</p><p>“Do you have any idea <em>why</em> I don’t move up to Class S?” questioned the blue-haired man. “I remain Class A, Rank 1 so I can prevent weak, good-for-nothing losers like you from moving up!”</p><p>Just as she was going to step in to prevent a fight from breaking out, a metal capsule shot past her and landed on the rubble-strewn ground, distracting the two Heroes from their argument. The machinery whirred as the door opened and a metal figure emerged from the pod, cables detaching from its back and head as it stepped out with a clanking noise. The sight of familiar figure made the ruby-eyed teen suck in a deep breath of air around gritted teeth in a futile attempt to corral her anger.</p><p>“Metal Knight?!” exclaimed Amai Mask disapprovingly. “You skip the meeting and only show up now?”</p><p>“Metal Knight? Why have you come here?!” questioned Genos as he approached the robot. “The battle is already done. Do not tell me you have come to recover the spaceship. Are you here so you can create more powerful weapons with the alien technology?”</p><p>“Genos, right? Your destruction of the meteor surprised me,” said Bofoi. “I must claim the spacecraft. Powerful weapons are a necessity…for the sake of peace.”</p><p>At those ridiculous words, a red tint covered Katsumi’s vision and a bone-chilling smile overtook her features as she Flash Stepped down and suddenly appeared next to the robot. “Bofoi,” she greeted in a falsely cheery voice, hooking an arm around his neck in a friendly manner and pulling him closer in a vice grip that he couldn’t escape from, regardless how much he struggled.</p><p>“Flash! You didn’t get buried in the crash after all!” exclaimed Atomic Samurai, the only one not picking up on her mood.</p><p>“‘Powerful weapons,’ huh? How much have you upgraded your favorite suit now? That’s funny though, because <em>this</em> robot seems a little weaker than the last one I…broke.” Cracks in the metal were rapidly spreading underneath her arm as her grip tightened incrementally from her anger, the smile not wavering from her face.</p><p>“Erm, Flash…you may wanna ease up on your grip there,” Atomic Samurai laughed nervously, not sure how to deal with angry teenage girls.</p><p>“Guess you took my little warning to heart. But I don’t think you fully grasped my meaning.” Both of the robot’s arms simultaneously dropped to the floor with a <em>clang</em>, making the gathered Heroes blink at the action they completely missed. “When I said to stay out of my way, <em>I meant it</em>. If you send even one more of your little drones to stalk me when I’m on patrol, I’ll hunt you down and rip you apart in the same way I’m doing to your toy here. But I’ll make sure to take my time.”</p><p>Ever since the incident with the meteor, she had been finding some of his drones tailing her and assessing her battles, so she always easily destroyed them, but she was getting pretty irritated by his persistence. Metal legs fell to the ground, ripped wires sparking with electricity and Katsumi was left holding onto a simple torso and head, but the optics were still lit up, so the teen knew Bofoi was still recording every one of her words. Leaning in and lowering her voice so that none of the Heroes could hear her words, she whispered, “And stay the fuck away from Genos. I don’t know what you want from him, but if you touch even <em>one</em> synthetic hair on his beautiful head, I guarantee you won’t live to regret it.”</p><p>“Hey! I found alien survivors!” called out Darkshine, waving them over from where he stood by the ship.</p><p>Reaching out with her unoccupied hand, Katsumi grabbed the robot’s head and dug her fingers straight through the metal, violently tearing it from the torso and dropping both pieces on the floor uncaringly as she dusted her hands off and walked towards Darkshine. Turning back to the group when nobody but Tatsumaki followed, she raised an elegant eyebrow at their incredulous faces. “Are you gonna stand there all day, like a bunch of idiots, or are you gonna help clear out the trash? It’s not like we need you guys though, so feel free to leave if you want.”</p><p>“Katsumi, what the hell was that?!” shouted Bad as he hurried towards her, hoisting his metal bat over his shoulder.</p><p>“Weren’t you listening to my ranting? That creep has been sending his drones to monitor me whenever I’m patrolling! They always spout off some garbage about testing my combat capabilities, so I just take them out before they notice, but it’s starting to get on my nerves, dammit!” She bonked him gently on the head and mock-frowned at him when he looked over. “And I told you not to call me by my real name in public. The media’s way too much of a hassle - you would know.”</p><p>“Tch, they’re always harpin’ on about how I style my hair, where I go to eat, what I wear—” Looking her over and actually seeing what she was wearing for the first time, a slight flush covered his cheeks. “Speakin’ of, what the hell are you wearin’?! Where’s the back of it?”</p><p>“You <em>did</em> see me jump into the air with literal <em>fire</em> coming from my back—“</p><p>“—that was definitely new—”</p><p>“—what do you think would happen to my shirt if I wore a normal one?” she asked with a deadpan, before smirking and crossing her arms beneath her bust. “But I somehow get the feeling you wouldn’t mind if my top burned off…would you, Bad~?” she purred teasingly, smirking when the flush on his cheeks burned brighter and his gaze fixed on her pushed up breasts, the tight material of her top further emphasizing her curves, before swiftly turning away from her so that she could only see the red tips of his ears. “Fufufu, cute as always~”</p><p>“Ugh, stop teasin’ me, woman!”</p><p>As they came to a stop and waited for the other Heroes to arrive, Katsumi surveyed the chained-up aliens in interest. After all, despite coming from the same ship, they were quite diverse in appearances; a few having slightly humanoid facial features, while others had things such as eyes on stalks, or mandibles. Maybe they were from different planets and joined forces? She was about to start questioning them on their motives for attacking City A, only for Amai Mask to strut past her and slash them into pieces, splattering green blood and chunks of flesh across the ground.</p><p>“Amai Mask!!!” gasped Darkshine in shock. “Why did you—”</p><p>“They did not deserve to live,” he replied coldly, brushing his hair away from his face and leaving a green streak of blood on his pale cheek. “They were evil. I swiftly implemented justice, that’s all.”</p><p>“Aw, but I didn’t get to interrogate them~,” Katsumi pouted, surreptitiously eyeing the hull of the ship tear outwards and Saitama walk out, scuff marks all over his face and his clothes full of tears, his cape little more than a scrap of fabric. Whatever he fought must’ve been really strong, which was a slightly terrifying thought. Turning her attention back to Amai Mask, she cleared her throat lightly to get his attention and pointed to her left cheek. “Uh, you got a little something…”</p><p>“Oh.” Wiping the blood from his face, the blue-haired man gave her a little smirk that instantly ticked her off. “Thanks. So…your name’s Katsumi, is it?”</p><p>“Ugh,” she groaned, elbowing Bad in the ribs <em>hard</em>, satisfied at his surprised yelp. “This is another reason why I didn’t want you to say my name. Now he’s gonna be insufferable.”</p><p>“Don’t be like that, Goddess! A beauty such as yours should be shared with the world!” Amai Mask proclaimed, producing a business card out of nowhere and handing to Katsumi, who eyed the number and address dubiously as the idol walked away. “You should model in my agency.”</p><p>“Hey, wait!” called out Bad, pausing the other Hero in his tracks. “Where you goin’? I ain’t done talkin’ to you! <b>Who’s</b> a loser??”</p><p>“Hey, Bad, just let it go,” said Katsumi, lightly grabbing his arm. “He probably didn’t mean it.”</p><p>“No, I definitely meant it,” Amai Mask stated as he turned back towards the duo, causing Katsumi to facepalm and sigh. “Maybe <em>you’re </em>bored, but I have other jobs. I was filming a TV drama!”</p><p>“Runnin’ away, huh? You’re all show!”</p><p>“No, I’m <em>busy.</em> So…you have one minute.”</p><p>“That’s all I need.”</p><p>The two Heroes approached each other and were facing off, Katsumi observing their showdown from behind Bad with a sweatdrop. ‘<em>Shouldn’t Amai Mask be more mature than this?</em>’ she questioned rhetorically. <em>‘He’s like, twenty-something, right? And I’m definitely gonna tell Zenko about this. Bad’s gonna be in such deep shit, fufufu~’</em></p><p>“You’re younger than me. Maybe you need a lesson in respect,” gritted out the blue haired man, flexing his hand in preparation. “Like how to <em>apologize</em>.”</p><p>“Let’s slug it out,” Bad said, dropping his bat on the ground and punching his palm. “I’ll spare your face.”</p><p>
  <em>—RRING—</em>
</p><p>“Your phone’s ringin’,” pointed out the bat-wielding Hero.</p><p>“It’s my manager. Pay no mind.”</p><p>
  <em>—TLING-A-LING—</em>
</p><p>“Excuse me! It’s my little sis!” yelled Bad, quickly answering the call and placing the phone against his ear, turning away from the idol to face Katsumi. “What’s the matter?! I’m preoccupied at the moment, so…What?! Your piano recital’s over?! I’m sorry I missed that…”</p><p>“Metal Bat, I don’t have any time,” Amai Mask said in irritation. “I really <em>am</em> busy.”</p><p>“Don’t bother,” Katsumi waved in dismissal. “There’s no way he’s hanging up on his sister just to fight you.”</p><p>“What?!” Bad gasped, tearing up in happiness and covering his mouth. “You got third place?!! Y-You practiced so hard!! That’s great! You should be happy! I’m so proud of…Hm? You’re angry? Yeah…Uh-huh…My bad. I’m sorry.”</p><p>Katsumi snickered at the dull look on the idol’s face as he was completely ignored.</p><p>“I got a summons and…Yeah. No excuses, I promised. You’re right…Yeah, that was her…S-Sure, I’ll ask both of them. Yeah…I’m sorry, so…Uh-huh. Next time, you have priority,” groveled the teen. “I really am sorry. Forgive me.”</p><p>“I’m going,” informed the older Hero, walking away.</p><p>“Please!” Bad yelled after the idol, clutching his phone to his chest. “She wants your autograph!”</p><p>“I’m too busy,” stated Amai Mask, denying his request as he leisurely walked away, one hand in his pocket.</p><p>Katsumi bit her lip at Bad’s crestfallen face, feeling guilty just imagining Zenko’s big, teary eyes. “Hang on,” she sighed in resignation. “I’ll do one shoot at your agency if you sign an autograph for Zenko.”</p><p>“Really?!” Appearing back in front of the two teenagers, the blue-haired man whipped out a blank sheet of paper and a pen (from his mystical hammerspace), elegantly signing it with a flourish and handing it to Katsumi. “Come tomorrow at 10 am. No take-backs.”</p><p>“O-Okay,” she stuttered, slightly stunned at how quickly he agreed. “Guess I’ll see you then. Remember, I’m only gonna do <em>one</em> shoot!” she called out to the departing man before pressing the autograph into Bad’s free hand with a smile. “There you go! You totally owe me dinner, though!”</p><p>“T-Thanks,” stuttered Bad, a blush appearing across the bridge of his nose. “Uh, Zenko wanted you to come over anyway, so…how’s tonight?”</p><p>“Sure, I’m <em>starving</em>! But after that, you’re taking me out to a real dinner. Just the two of us~,” winked Katsumi, laughing at the red tint that spread across his entire face.</p><p>“Katsumi!”</p><p>“I’m not joking! If I have to deal with that annoying guy for a whole day, I want you to pay for my food!”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(Katsumi completely forgot to tell Zombieman about the House of Evolution. Again, lol!!)</p><p>Yes, I will be making a new stat page with [Shunkō] on it and yes, I did give Katsumi Yūshirō Shihōin’s Shunkō ability because I NEED EXPLOSIONS TO LIVE!! There is no life without explosions!!!</p><p>Hope you enjoyed, leave a kudos and a comment. Stay tuned for more updates!!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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